Smartphones help patients carry medical records

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hospitals and clinics are replacing paper files with sophisticated electronic health records. And although some systems can’t share information with each other, which could be a serious problem in an emergency, smartphones are starting to bridge that electronic gap.

That capability is already available to Medicare patients and veterans. The Medicare Blue Button and a similar Veterans Affairs medical program allow patients to download three years of their medical history into a simple text file on their smartphones or personal computers. Apps are available for Apple and A...