Veterans Health Care At Your Fingertips (NAPSA)—Imagine being able to electronically record personal health information and access the latest health news right in your own home. My HealtheVet, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) eHealth Web portal, allows veterans to do just that. On Veterans Day 2003, VA launched this new technology to improve health care for all veterans, independent of where they receive care, by providing health information and a personal health record via the Web. Veterans can explore reliable information on health topics; research diseases and conditions; learn about combat-related conditions; read about medication and treatment options; and learn how to become and stay healthy. Today, My HealtheVet enables veterans to becomefull partners in managing their own health. They are recording and tracking personal health information. They can track readings for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, weight, body temperature, and pain. They can record medical events and treatment locations, and maintain their military health history. VA introduced three new Web-based health trackers—Food Journal, Activity Log, and Pulse Oximetry—on Veterans Day 2005. My HealtheVetoffers additional electronic services to veterans who receive care at VA medicalcenters. My HealtheVet launched online prescription refill in August 2005 and more than 35,000 online prescription requests were filled the first month. My HealtheVet will soon provide veterans direct access to their VA electronic health records. Vet- Veterans can now accesspersonal health information anywhere Internet accessis available. erans will receive copies of key portions of their electronic VA health record to add to their own personal health record, and will be able to track their outpatient clinic appointments and copay balances. As veterans build their ownlifelong health records, they will be able share all or part of their personal health information with health care providers, inside and outside VA. All this is possible because VA pioneered the use of computerized medical records since the early 1980’s. VA continues to be a leader in the use of computerized medical records and recently received high praise after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. Unlike manyprivate-sector hospitals that rely on paper records, all New Orleans VA patient records were available at other VA locations. Veterans can access My HealtheVet on the Internet at www.myhealth.va.gov and begin keeping a Personal Health Record today.
