Health insurance industry announces PHR model

On December 13, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and America's Health Insurance Plans announced a model format for a computerized personal health record. "The industry model PHR is a private, secure web-based tool maintained by an insurer that contains a consumer’s claims and administrative information. PHRs enable individual patients and their designated caregivers to view and manage health information and play a greater role in their own health care." Full details on the format are available on the AHIP website.