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Create a Personal Health Record

It’s important to have access to and control of your medical health record. According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) you have the right to access, inspect, copy and request correction or amendment to your health information.

Some organizations and physician practices that use electronic health records (instead of relying only on paper charts) may give you access to view your health record on the internet. If you don’t have this access, it’s important for you to assemble your person health record (PHR) so that it is freely available in the event you need it.

You can create a paper, computer-based or web-based PHR. The benefit of a web-based PHR is that you can make your record readably available to any healthcare provider who has online access. If you use a paper record, consider shrinking it down to carry with you in you wallet or purse, or if your record is stored on your computer, carry it with you on a thumb drive (securely in your possession). This way whenever you need to be seen (particularly in emergency situations), you can be sure that your healthcare provider has all the information they need to arrive at the best decision.

We have provided a link to MyPHR from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) below. It provides a very helpful introduction to PHRs and has collated an extensive list of free and commercial tools, both web and paper-based, where you can start assembling your PHR. We referenced the Personal Medical Records section in MedlinePlus as well. In addition to referring to AHIMA, it provides links to other references that provide further information about PHRs.

We have also referenced one PHR provider as a standout. Medem is unique in the way it facilitates physician-patient communication with its PHR, which is key to partnering with your healthcare provider.

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SuperSmartHealth does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please see our Terms of Use for more information. Page Updated: Jan 09, 2009