By Joni Lindquist
A critical component of KHC’s Making Life Count® philosophy, balancing living well today with planning for your future; is to live a healthy life. It’s hard to live well today if your health is poor. Too often we don’t pay enough attention to our health until there is a crisis. It is vital to plan ahead before you or a loved one experiences a health scare. Part of planning ahead is to obtain your personal medical records from your physicians. A great article in the Wall Street Journal by Melinda Beck encourages each of us to acquire and use our personal medical records.
At KHC, we also believe that knowledge is power. We provide our clients with analyses and guidance to help inform their decisions. Taking control of your medical records gives you knowledge that can make a difference in your life. One of the ancillary benefits of ObamaCare is that the healthcare industry has invested millions of dollars to digitize patient’s medical records. In the article, Beck outlines 5 steps to take control of your medical records:
- Demand Your Data – I love the fact that my primary care physician has an online portal with my lab reports. Now I don’t have to keep years of hard copy reports. Physicians are required to provide your patient information to you; but they are allowed to charge for it, so be prepared to pay.
- Organize It – Take advantage of apps that help you organize yours and your family’s medical data. Be sure to save data from your primary care physician as well as any specialists you visit.
- Share It – share your records when needed – with other doctors or as Beck mentions, provide immunization records to your child’s school.
- Generate It Yourself – I am one of the Luddites who does not have a fitness tracker even though physical fitness is very important to me. It seems like one more thing to worry about –if I didn’t walk 10,000 steps each day, then I’m a failure. But I see the benefit of having this data and holding yourself accountable to be physically fit.
- Protect It – however, beware of the fitness trackers mentioned above. This information is not covered by HIPPA, so equipment companies can gather your fitness history and other data you put into the tracker. Be extremely careful with your medical information.
Knowledge is power, and it’s much easier to obtain this knowledge when you are healthy; prior to a potential health problem. For help accessing your medical information, schedule a meeting by clicking below, contact Joni Lindquist –jlindquist@makinglifecount.com, or call (913) 345-1881.