With back-to-school week just completed, chances are you've been bombarded by back-to-school-sale ads, or your children have pleaded for the latest high-tech gadget or trendy pair of jeans.
As we stock up on school supplies, clothes and more in anticipation of another school year, we should give equal consideration to our children's - as well as our own - personal medical records and health history.
Technology - and the Internet in particular - is revolutionizing health care by enabling us to gain quicker and easier access to vital health care information, including our medical history and those of our loved ones. This information, for example, can come in handy for a son or daughter required to complete a physical exam or provide an immunization update to participate in a particular school function.
Additionally, online personal health records enable college students, many of whom attend university out of state and travel abroad, to easily access their medical records any time.
When you think about it, personal health information and access to medical records are vital not just at the beginning of the school year, but year-round by people of all ages. However, a recent survey by Harris Interactive found that only 7 percent of adults in the United States use online personal health records, and 35 percent of respondents were unaware that such a resource even exists. Yet, a number of health insurers and hospitals offer free online personal health records for their patients.
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ersonal health records contain information such as current medical conditions, medication history - including prescription names, dosages and refill dates – lab results, immunization records and more that can help doctors in the event you need treatment.
For example, the personal health record offered by UnitedHealthcare is pre-populated with information from a member's medical and pharmaceutical claims information. Members can also enter self-reported information for their own tracking and reference, including blood pressure, weight, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, allergies and vaccinations.
We believe easier access to our medical records will help us take more charge of our health and make better health decisions. What better time than the beginning of a new school year to learn how to more easily manage our health information? Ask your doctor our health plan to see if you can create a personal health record for you and your family.
Dr. Eric Christianson is the medical director for UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin.
1 Comment
To be kind, Dr. Eric Christianson is wearing rose colored glasses. There are a very good reasons most Americans do not trust the "health" industry web sites. Quote the Federal or State law protecting personal information voluntarily disclosed.
Or do you believe people are so ignorant of the news that they haven't learned Web site security is a scam sold by the unscrupulous to simpletons. The list of web sites that failed to secure data adequately includes every major bank, military, government and business organization in the world. To believe that's going to change for Personal Health Records (PHR) is beyond naive.
The web site benefit claim is 'information everywhere'. Really? How effective are web sites in an emergency? Read the contract. Force majeure essentially assures the ISP has no obligation beyond financial gain when the sun shines.
A web site as a medical records repository has a single advantage: data mining. Google is openly in the information reselling business. What's the reason WebMD wants you to trust them with your lab results? How come Revolution Healthcare will track your prescriptions for you? And why is Wal Mart suddenly interested in the welfare of their workers? Benevolent BillG is admirable; but what's the Microsoft modus operandi for the past 20 years if not profit? Go figure: an individual's information is worth between $10.00 - $100.00 depending on detail and date. Add in an employer's biggest expense and subtract at-risk staff. Only Pollyanna believes money isn't the motive.
99.9% of the 200+ PHRs clamoring for to store your information are web based. Why? First clue: web sites are cheap. $35.00 and anyone can buy a roadside stand on the information super highway. When 99.9% of these fold their tent and go home (as they will), what happens to your data? It goes dark with the web site... or it's sold to pay the ISP. (Competing against Wal Mart, WebMD, Revolution Healthcare, Google and Microsoft is an IQ test. Any CEO who thinks s/he can, just flunked).
Speaking of going dark, how does a web site work where the lights go out? Ask anyone who's been through a hurricane, fire, flood, or tornado how their electric service fared. You don't need a terrorist attack; just watch what happens when some bozo hits a power pole or digs up a cable with a backhoe if you want to see sparky die.
It's one thing to steal a credit card number. While inconvenient, the account can be canceled in seconds and provides fraud protection. Selling medical data is legal under the current HIPAA regulations. Drugs stores do it everyday. Upload a full history to cyberspace and you voluntarily released the information. It's fair game, in the public domain, and no law protects it - other than supply and demand. A person may not care who knows they were late on a payment, but revealing they're incontinent is just business as usual when profiting from patient illness.
PHR web sites are a bonanza for those who'll trade the knowledge of your most intimate details. Be smart: keep your data in your pocket or purse on a secure USB drive. It'll save your life and keep your information out of the hands of the greedy.