iBlueButton®

I downloaded this app this morning and so far I’m not very impressed. There is just way too much information to be useful and no way to resolve mistakes. i.e., my pcp and cardiologist both reported a list of medications. (I assume that’s where a lot of the duplicates originated). The list goes on to include a literal ton of single dose meds that were apparently administered during an outpatient surgery I received a few years ago. I took the time to click each toggle indicating their ‘not current’ status but that wasn’t enough to keep them off the test report I exported to myself. The bottom line is that my small number of current medications were reported in just less than 3 full pages of irrelevant data. Conveying information to a new provider through this app is truly like trying to drink from a firehose. Another issue are the errors that show up in the original medical records. Naturally you’d expect them to be repeated within the app but wouldn’t it be nice if the user had the ability to make notes to identify such problems as they are discovered. (Yes, I routinely report discrepancies to the various doctors but apparently the corrections didn’t actually find their way into their files.) Part of the appeal of this app is the promise of empowerment. All I see here is a regurgitation of consolidated data. I suppose that it’s better than nothing. No wonder the medical profession is in a mess.

Downloaded this since the VA and Tricare don’t interface with Apple Health directly and was pleasantly surprised. The app synced easily with the VA records system. Wasn’t able to test Tricare since Tricare is down (go figure). Apple health integration works well too. Good app to maintain your medical records if you use Medicare/VA/Apple Health. But not Tricare, because reasons.

This app has been a massive help—my mother (who’s on Medicare) has been dealing with chronic health issues, which means lots of doctors and lots of medications. I live out of state, which makes it extremely difficult for me to keep track of what’s going on; iBlueButton keeps all of her doctors’ contact info in one place, should a crisis situation occur. Plus, it keeps all her meds listed in a format she can show to a new specialist, to make sure she’s not given anything that will react poorly with the meds she’s already on. (For new users—the app also reviews the list of current medications, to see if any might be causing adverse reactions and complicating treatment.) Having a sick parent is hard no matter what, but it’s much easier to deal with when you’re not having to prompt them for details they’d rather not think about.