On September 3, the objectives and progress of the Blue Button project were presented at Clínica Girona, and a demonstration of its functionalities was performed in real time. The evolution of Blue Button and its deployment in the private health sector will be possible thanks to the driving force and collaboration of ACES (Catalan Association of Health Organisations) and two care centres where the pilots are being carried out: Clínica Girona and Clínica Bofill.
In this regard, the meeting was attended by representatives of the TIC Salut Social Foundation, ACES, Clínica Girona, Clínica Bofill and the company iSalus, responsible for developing some of the technological functionalities featured during the meeting.
The Blue Button, promoted by the Catalan Health System through the TIC Salut Social Foundation, allows citizens to download an electronic, structured and reusable summary of their clinical history. This functionality, currently available in La Meva Salut and under development by the private sector, facilitates the portability and management of medical information in a secure and efficient manner.
Project goals
During the meeting, the degree of progress of the project was presented with a joint demonstration of the operation of Blue Button among Clínica Girona, Clínica Bofill and ISalus. The demonstration was useful in bringing to the table how to facilitate portability and access to medical information, while giving patients control over their health data. It also demonstrated that data interoperability among different health systems is possible, both nationally and internationally.
By downloading a structured summary of a patient’s clinical history in digital format, coded according to international medical standards (Patient Summary), one can obtain a clear and up-to-date view of the state of health of each citizen, regardless of the care centre where they are treated.
Towards efficient and widespread implementation
During the demonstration, the following steps were reviewed and agreed in the implementation and adoption of Blue Button. ACES and the TIC Salut Foundation will ensure maintenance, technological upgrades and incentives for implementation in other private healthcare centres. The progress of the project in the field of public health was also highlighted (within the framework of La Meva Salut) and on an international scale with its European namesake, Yellow Button, developed through the xShare project in which the TIC Salut Social Foundation also participates.
xShare and quality certification
The xShare project is based on the Blue Button model. The European button is currently undergoing review and technological improvement to give this download tool a new layer of robustness. Generate this quality label or industry label associated will be possible thanks to the Foundation’s Mobile Apps Certification Service that sets optimal quality standards in relation to the security, functionality, usability and technological reliability of digital healthcare assets.
The deployment of the Blue Button project in the private sector will constitute a major step forward in the digital transformation of health in Catalonia. Functionalities such as those presented yesterday at Clínica Girona and the collaboration between public and private institutions, such as the TIC Salut Social Foundation and ACES, guarantee to place Catalonia as a model in valuable, scalable innovations with a positive impact on the general public.
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Written by Victor Barberà, Corporate Communications Manager, Fundació TIC Salut Social
Contact the author at vbarbera@ticsalutsocial.cat.
