Florida is the First State to Offer Personal Health Records for Medicaid Recipients

Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) has previewed the first phase of Florida's free, Internet-based personal health record, My Florida Health eBook and My Florida eBaby Book. Florida is the first state to offer free personal health records for Medicaid recipients, which was made possible through an innovative partnership between the Agency, Availity, LLC, HealthTrio LLC and Healthwise at no cost to taxpayers.

”Thanks to this extraordinary partnership with private sector leaders we were able to develop free personal health records for every Medicaid recipient in the state of Florida,” said Secretary Holly Benson. ”We are the first state in the country to do this, and we believe that this is a tremendous opportunity to empower our recipients with their health care information and to give them the tools they want and need to improve their health.”

Within the next 30 days, Florida's 2.6 million Medicaid recipients will be able to access their Internet-based personal health record at www.FloridaHealthFinder.gov by using their Medicaid ID number. Hospitals and community partners will pilot the new tool over the next two weeks before it is made available it to all Medicaid recipients. In the first phase of the personal health record, individuals will be able to enter and access their personal health information online. Medicaid recipients will be able to track information about their health care visits, procedures, medications, immunizations, allergies and more. Other features will include:

• Family History: Assists users in tracking their family history, and allows them to print and share this information with their health care provider.
• Health Tracker: Users can chart their personal health information such as height, weight, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and more.
• Wallet Card: Encourages users to enter emergency contact and key health information to be printed and carried with them at all times.

”Availity is proud to provide the health information networking platform for the My Florida Health e-Book and My Florida e-Baby Book,” said Russ Thomas, president of Availity. ”Florida has always been progressive in leveraging information technology to improve health quality and access. We believe this program will underscore the ways that collaboration and superior connectivity can improve health outcomes for Floridians.”

”Personal health records allow consumers to organize their health records and related information and ensures their providers have all the information necessary to diagnose properly,” said Dr. Malik Hasan, president and CEO of HealthTrio LLC. ”We are excited to partner with the Agency to provide online personal health records for Florida's Medicaid recipients.”

The Healthwise® Knowledgebase, a robust library of more than 6,000 decision-focused health topics in plain, uncomplicated language, is integrated with the personal health record. The health content educates Medicaid recipients and helps them make better decisions with their doctors.

”With Healthwise content, the Agency for Health Care Administration can offer Florida's Medicaid recipients easy access to health information that can help them take an active role in their own health and in their family's health,” said Donald W. Kemper, Healthwise chairman and CEO. ”The right information at the right time can help a person with diabetes better manage their blood sugar or help a new mom know what to do when her child is sick.”

In the second phase of My Florida Health eBook and My Florida eBaby Book, the Agency will populate each Medicaid recipient's personal health record with claims data from services paid for by Florida Medicaid. The recipients will also be able to view the personal health record in Spanish.

The Agency will be partnering with hospitals, county health departments and community organizations across the state to promote the use of My Florida Health eBook and My Florida eBaby Book to Florida's Medicaid recipients. St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa, Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Pensacola, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando will be meeting with the Agency to discuss a pilot of My Florida eBaby Book with Medicaid recipients prior to the official launch.

The Agency for Health Care Administration is committed to better health care for all Floridians. The Agency administers Florida's Medicaid program, licenses and regulates more than 32,000 health care facilities and 37 health maintenance organizations, and publishes health care data and statistics. For more information, please visit www.ahca.myflorida.com.

Availity optimizes information exchange between multiple health care stakeholders through a single, secure network. The Availity Health Information Network encompasses administrative, financial, and clinical services, supporting both real-time and batch exchange via the web, business to business (B2B) integration, and electronic data interchange (EDI). For more information, including an online demonstration, please visit www.availity.com.

HealthTrio, LLC is a healthcare information technology and services company whose primary mission is to connect all healthcare participants to improve the quality of care and streamline administrative processes. Our solutions facilitate the sharing of clinical and administrative information online in real-time with health plans, members, and providers. Our solutions are fully installed and working in healthcare environments throughout the United States and are delivering a substantial return on investment to our client health insurance plans, as well as empowering members to better manage their care. Our solutions combine the latest Internet and systems integration technologies with our more than 25 years of experience in health care. For more information call 1-877-571-1988 or visit www.healthtrio.com.

Healthwise is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help people make better health decisions. Nearly 130 million times a year, people turn to Healthwise information to learn how to do more for themselves, ask for the care they need, and say ”no” to the care they don't need. Healthwise works with health plans, hospitals, disease management companies, and health Web sites to provide up-to-date, evidence-based information to the people they serve. To learn more about the Healthwise Information Therapy (Ix®) Solution, visit www.healthwise.org or call 1-800-706-9646.

Contacts:

Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration
Tiffany Vause, Press Secretary, 850-922-5871
vauset@ahca.myflorida.com