Independence Blue Cross Launches Online Health Records

Philadelphia’s Independence Blue Cross (IBC) has launched Personal Health Record (PHR), an extension of its ibxpress.com Web site on which policyholders can combine health information they have about themselves with the insurer’s claims data to get a complete picture of their health.

"Members can now combine their health information with data that we store about their past care, treatments, lab tests, medications, and any hospital or emergency room visits," Linda Taylor, chief marketing executive of Independence Blue Cross, says in a statement. "Since, for many of us, busy lives and hectic schedules make it hard to remember when we last had important preventive care like a mammogram or a flu shot, IBC now provides members with a PHR, an easy-to-access, secure place to keep their personal health data."

The company noted in a press release that the health care reform bill emphasizes prevention and open lines of communication with their doctors, and that its goal with the launch is to facilitate that.

"Data-loaded PHRs, further enhanced when members add more information, are expected to improve the quality of care that our members receive and increase patient safety overall," Richard Snyder, MD, chief medical officer at IBC, explains in a statement. "When doctors have a more complete picture of the patient's medical history, they have a broader base of information from which to make treatment recommendations, helping the member get the best possible care."

A PHR printout can also help doctors identify possibly harmful drug interactions, Snyder adds. Members also can be sent secure messages regarding important gaps in care. This electronic communication is supported by IBC's Clinical Alerts, which are sent to the doctor's office so that before the member arrives for an appointment, the doctor can be alerted to which tests or treatments may be due for the member.

The initiative is a continuation of an IBC initiative to add more online consumer tools to manage health. The IBXpress.com site on which the PHRs are managed was launched last year through a partnership with WebMD.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio