CMS employs several PHR vendors for pilot project. Image Source: AlignMap

Officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have chosen four personal health record (PHR) vendors to participate in a pilot program for Medicare recipients in Utah and Arizona.

The PHR providers will be Google, HealthTrio, NoMoreClipboard and PassportMD, according to a CMS media advisory, reported Government HealthIT.

Medicare recipients in the two states will have claims information automatically added to their online PHRs beginning in early January as part of the pilot project.

“PHRs are patient-controlled, allowing the patients themselves to decide what information is in their PHRs, when PHRs need to be updated and who has access to them. Greater use of PHRs is a critical step in strengthening the communication between beneficiaries and doctors necessary for more effective and coordinated patient-centered care,” according to CMS.