Michigan intros first of its kind Medicaid mobile app
Connecting state and local government leaders
Partnering with the private sector, Michigan has created a mobile application for Medicaid recipients to view their medical records and coverage remotely.
More and more Americans are using smart phones and applications to access information and make daily life easier. In fact, smartphones are expected to generate 68 percent of the total mobile data traffic by 2017 – a 24 percent increase within five years.
Several state governments have tried to adapt their services to this burgeoning mobile trend. In Michigan, the Department of Community Health partnered with the private sector to announce a first of its kind mobile application for citizens receiving Medicaid. The myHealthButton (myHB) application is designed to connect patients with their medical information from a remote location with a tap to their smartphones.
The myHB application will enable Medicaid recipients to view their card information, coverages, providers, food benefits and locate services nearby using customized search.
According to statistics from Michigan’s Department of Community Heath’s contractor, CNSI, 40 percent of the Medicaid population uses a smartphone for Internet access while 52 percent of consumers said they would use a mobile application to monitor their medical records and possible treatments if available. Furthermore, 66 percent of consumers would change to physicians who would use mobile applications for medical record access.
The myHB app is available to those enrolled in Medicaid as well as the Children’s Special Healthcare Services program or the MiChild program, a program for uninsured children.
This is not the first time Michigan has partnered with CNSI. In 2006, the state teamed up to create the Michigan Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System. CNSI also assisted Michigan in Affordable Car Act compliance.
Additionally, CNSI has worked with Michigan and Illinois in 2013 on the Illinois Michigan Program Alliance for Core Technology project. The partners created a Medicaid management information system that included cloud-based systems allowing Medicaid administrative operations to be more easily carried out and shared. While Illinois will use Michigan’s program, both states will share operational costs.
Officials from Michigan are excited about offering the features to citizens via the new myHB. "Meeting the demands of an ever-increasing technology-driven society is a top priority for state government," said Michigan’s Department of Technology, Management and Budget Director David Behen. "This innovative approach to providing Michigan residents with easy access to their own personal information is a great example of utilizing technology to meet those needs."