Create Your Personal Medical Record But Be Careful Choosing To Store Them Online

These days more than ever people should take a pro-active strategy managing their personal medical record. Like most people, you've probably relocated many times during your life. Moving in to any new community usually indicates developing a partnership with a new physician, dental professional or other healthcare provider. Eventually, it's easy to forget vital details when you were taken care of, by whom - even for what. Even if you've lived in one place, it's still likely you've gotten medical care from several healthcare physicians over time.

There is no one place you can go to get your complete health history. Each doctor you see keeps his or her own patient information detailing your medical visits and treatment. The same is true for hospitals, clinics,   labs, dental practitioners, opticians, chiropractic specialists, drug stores and so on. Only you are in the position to gather all the information together to compile your complete medical history.

If you don't already keep a personal medical record, now is the perfect time to begin. Do not depend or assume that medical providers will have your complete medical history readily available. The longer you delay, the more problems you may have in acquiring older health information.   

There are several factors why you want to obtain your medical history after you are treated:

• Health Records are not stored indefinitely by medical providers. Storage times may differ based on where you were treated.

• Hard-copy paper records can be misplaced, ruined by fire or water, or simply lost. Duplicate copies of paper records are not normally created. This can result in the original medical record may be the only copy that is available.

• Your older medical records may be located on microfiche and the readable quality declines over time.

• Electronic information located on computer systems, CDs, DVDs or small storage area gadgets called thumbs may also be missing or damaged.

• Like everybody else, doctors relocate or merge with another practice, retire, or pass away.

Nationwide standards for health privacy are founded by HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the Office of Health and Human Services, www.hhs.gov. One of the most important privileges involved in HIPAA is the right to acquire duplicates of your healthcare details. HIPAA also allows you to ask to modify any mistakes in your healthcare details.

For more on your right to access medical records under HIPAA, see Fact Sheet 8a, HIPAA Basics: Medical Privacy in the Electronic Age, www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs8a-hipaa.htm.  

Once you have your medical records in hand, you can start to compile your own medical history. The MedTrakker personal medical record organizer allows individuals to manage, document and share their medical history will their healthcare providers.

If you want to incorporate a bit of technology to your recordkeeping, there are product items you can purchase that you can use to help monitor and store your personal medical record. Internet-based storage space websites are also popping up. These solutions allow you to keep your healthcare information, transfer information from other resources, and discuss your information with your healthcare physicians.     

A Word of Warning:

Commercial items sold to manage and store your medical information differ from suppliers. Just like paper records, medical information stored on your pc or a far away website can be lost, corrupted or even stolen. If you consider using one of these services, be sure to read the manual, especially the organization's published privacy policy and terms of service. When shopping for technology, security is a must.

Begin documenting your medical history and take an active role in your medical care today! MedTrakker© gives you peace of mind knowing your records are portable, secure and away from prying eyes.

The medical organizers are available exclusively online at: http://www.medtrakker.com/
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Personal Medical Record Keeping -10 Must Do Actions To An Efficient 8 Minute Healthcare Visit

Research shows that medical doctors have about 8 minutes to devote with each of the numerous patients they see every single day. Planning ahead ensures the time is spent wisely and leads to the best care.

Implementing and using a MedTrakker personal medical record organizer can help you navigate your way through your healthcare journey for better communication and exceptional quality healthcare with your health providers.

As a medical professional for over 20 years and an outspoken medical patient advocate for the last 8, I've discovered that the important business self-discipline of being well prepared and taking charge also applies to medical wellbeing in general. When applied to your own medical care and history, it can sometimes mean the distinction concerning life and death.

Strengthening ourselves through knowledge and understanding provides us the resources and assurance to take control of our health/medical care allowing us to partner with our physicians. The result? Less stress and worry. Understanding. Greater decision-making and better quality healthcare results.

An easy, yet often forgotten step is to apply the business technique of information collecting and planning to your healthcare provider's visit. Studies have shown that health practioners have about 8 minutes to spend with each of the numerous people they see every single day. Getting prepared ahead guarantees the time is used correctly and results in the most effective healthcare. Unfortunately, almost fifty million people in America are without a doctor, which means a walk-in center or medical healthcare facility may be the place of your next healthcare connection. You may be seeing someone who knows minimal, if anything, about you, or does not have access to your complete medical history record. Keeping up to date and accurate information is especially significant for you or a loved one in this situation. 

This has led to more respected and mutually trustworthy circumstances where physician and patient can work together as partners. Now more than ever, we are accountable for tracking our own medical course; we have   larger part in analyzing our way of life alternatives to general health remedies that are best suited for us. Many of us remain on top of frequent tracking of our serious health conditions; and do more investigation than ever before into indicators and/or circumstances, thanks to the range of details available from reliable online websites.

Preparing ahead places you immediately where you are worthy to be: at the hub of your medical care as a genuine partner with your healthcare provider.

Set Your Goals. Make a check-list to stay on target with what you want to focus on and to make sure nothing is forgotten - 8 minutes is certainly not a lot of time.

List Current Medications. Include current prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, herbal remedies and vitamins or any supplements you take, including dosages and frequency.

Bring Current Test Results. Include procedures, lab work, scans, and physician reports you may have had done elsewhere. If you have a chronic condition, include your latest readings (i.e. blood sugar, blood pressure).  You will need to start gathering copies of medical reports so you possess a complete personal medical record, which is vital in a medical emergency.

Prior Medical History.  Include previous hospitalizations, healthcare problems, any genetics or family history - especially regarding problems or causes of death of first-line close relatives. This will save your doctor time researching your file and places it top of mind.

Keep A Journal. Log the signs of the present healthcare concern for your physician; if you have stomach aches, please record what and where it 's painful, when it happens (constant or intermittent), how it feels (sharp, pounding, aching), and any aspects that might be relevant, like meals consumed at the time of oncoming, etc. Focus on healthcare concerns: discuss the most demanding first. Some health specialists can only deal with one or two health-related issues per visit; make a follow-up appointment for items not included.

Bring Someone With You. A companion at your visit as an additional set of ears to review paperwork, ask concerns and offer assistance is beneficial, particularly for a challenging situation or if serious treatment plans about your care are being made. People usually retain very little of the conversation about their health, so having a third person present is a great way to make sure you don't forget everything the physician said.

List Questions To Ask to make sure you keep in mind what you want resolved. Stay focused. Never think twice to stop your physician if you require understanding on any complex info. Ask about immunizations, pills, assessments or other assessments that may apply to your situation.

Share Major Life Events (Losing a job, caring for or losing a loved one, etc.) This helps your doctor review your physical health as well as your mental health to develop an accurate medical assessment.

Do Your Research. There are now many reliable websites that offer information on health conditions and illnesses. Empower yourself with knowledge about your situation and treatments available. Communicate and share these sources with your medical doctor.

The medical organizers are available exclusively online at: http://www.medtrakker.com/

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Personal Medical Record Empowers Individuals To Monitor Their Healthcare

These days' people must be dependable and interested in their personal medical record. Individuals are motivated to carry medication details, and fundamental medical insurance information. Even The legislature recognizes the importance of having individual information readily available. On September 27, the U.S. House approved the Health Information Engineering Promotion Act of 2005 (HIT). Don't wait until 2014 when your medical history is finally in specialist centers and health professional's offices to start gathering your medical information! Start today documenting your individual medical/health information.

How does one keep information and facts straight? Products evaluators for Energy Times Health and Overall health Publication have discovered the reply. Publisher Amber Bowden, of Winchester, VA, has received word that MedTrakker© has been granted the magazine's press recognition. The journal states in its community/member tested areas, "MedTrakker" ©, an individual medical record keeping manager, is designed to allow you to maintain your individual medical history. It offers adequate space for documenting information about medications, care levels, hospital stay, treatments, family history, hospitalization, surgeries, injuries, ailments, and other vital information required by healthcare providers."

 When I realized I was incapable to locate an item to use to manage my mothers specialist facts while being her care-giver due to cancer malignancy, I developed MedTrakker©. I realized from knowledge and experience I could not depend on someone else to keep her specialist information accurate.  I also had the experience of my mother being taken to the hospital and was incapable to speak. The health professionals discovered the answers to every question in my mother's MedTrakker© and were given satisfaction acknowledging information was current and accurate.

MedTrakker© is a patient-managed documentation system. Five variations are available. All MedTrakker Editions come with navigation tabs and is enclosed in an 8 1/2 x 11", 3-ring loose-leaf notebook binder. The first edition is a "Caner Trakker" for all cancer benign/malignancy analysis.  The second edition is a "Diabetes Trakker" for Type 1 & II and Gestational. The third edition is a "Cardiovascular Trakker" for all heart related ailments.  The fourth edition is a "Universal Trakker" that can be used by people of all ages to manage his/her or their child's medical information. The fifth edition is the "My Baby Trakker" which monitors the health of both Mother and Infant. Visit the web site: www.MedTrakker.com for additional information. 

The styles of the medical organizers do not require power or computer reading and writing. Begin documenting your specialist information and take an active role in your medical care today! "MedTrakker"© will help collect the specialist information required so you will be better prepared to deal with a specialist situation. It will give you satisfaction knowing information provided to your medical team is correct and immediately available for better quality of care.  

The medical organizers are available exclusively online at: http://www.medtrakker.com/
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MedTrakker Personal Medical Record Empowers Patients to Receive Better Quality HealthCare

Patients that are dealing with health conditions will most likely interact with many health care providers. Because your medical history is spread out among your entire medical team, keeping your own updated personal medical record will help you play an active, informed role in your care. Every time you visit your Doctor or pay a visit to a clinic or hospital, they may require you to complete forms. Writing the same information over and over again.  This is Frustrating, time consuming and may not necessarily be accurate because you have forgotten important details about your medical history, such as Surgeries, Medications and dates for all these vital pieces of data about you. Knowing your medical history allows you to share accurate information with new doctors.

When first collecting all your medical information you should start by asking for a copy of your most recent records every time you visit a health provider or a medical facility. Most medical offices charge a fee for copies of your medical record. So it's best to ask for copies of reports, doctor notes, test results and all relevant records during your medical appointment. By asking for your records while you are at your appointment will likely result in you not being charged. 

Here are just some of the benefits of managing and organizing your own personal medical record.

-  Stress reduction when filling out hospital and medical forms - saving time, frustration and costly mistakes. 
-  Quality health information readily available at all points of care, reducing delays in treatment.
-  Providing health professionals a consistent and complete understanding of your health condition, avoiding unnecessary treatments and adverse reactions,     such as harmful prescription drug interactions.
-  Reducing unnecessary duplication of expensive diagnostic tests, including lab work.

While electronic medical records are useful and being used more widely in Physician and hospital settings. You cannot carry them with you. Most Electronic Medical Records that are in place today can only be accessed by the individual Physician's or Hospital facility, not across a shared network of physicians. And until such time that patient's personal medical information can be shared over a secure network platform, it is up to the patient to be responsible for there own health care, and to take an active role in there overall medical record and treatment care. MedTrakker relieves the anxiety of starting from scratch to allow patients to focus effectively on their diagnosis and complete medical care resulting in better quality healthcare.

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MedTrakker medical organizers are an excellent instrument to encourage powerful communication with your entire healthcare team.

The medical organizers are available exclusively online at: http://www.medtrakker.com/

For Media: Amber Bowden is available for speaking events, book signings, and expert quotes. For more information, please contact her at info@medtrakker.com   or Find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MedTrakker