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The VA gets the first shot at giving this a try through the month of September.  In October CMS will roll out the Blue Button download feature to be rolled our for those with Medicare and Medicaid. 

You can read more at the Blue Button Initiative at the CMS Website.

A sample file can be viewed here and the overall intent is to have software that will import the data into other PHR programs. 

CMS to Add “Blue Button” Feature to Personal Health Records Portal

The VA has also been working with Kaiser Permanente with KP Connect with 24/7 access.  BD

Kaiser Permanente And Veterans Affairs Preview Electronic Health Record Interoperability

On August 2, 2010, President Obama announced the “Blue Button” capability that allows Veterans to download their personal health information from their MyHealtheVet account. VA developed the Blue Button in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Department of Defense, along with the Markle Foundation's Consumer Engagement Workgroup.

The MyHealtheVet Personal Health Record (PHR) is comprised of self-entered health metrics (blood pressure, weight, heart rate, etc.), emergency contact information, test results, family health history, military health history, and other health related information. The Blue Button extract that Veterans can download is a so-called “ASCII text file”, the easiest and simplest electronic text format (see a sample Blue Button file).

Blue Button PHRs can be printed, or saved on computers and portable storage devices. Having control of this information enables Veterans to share this data with health care providers, caregivers, or people they trust.

On August 29, 2010, VA will make the Blue Button available on our website. Throughout the month of September Veterans can login to their MyHealtheVet account and try out the Blue Button. In early October, VA and CMS will officially roll-out the Blue Button download feature at the Health 2.0 conference in San Francisco.

Additionally, the Markle Foundation has issued a Developer Challenge. VA looks forward to the innovative platforms, apps, and widgets that will result from this exciting competition. For more information, visit the Blue Button Challenge website or the CMS Blue Button website.

http://www4.va.gov/bluebutton/

Read More: http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/08/va-can-now-use-blue-button-to-download.html