How to Manage a Personal Health Record

Chances are, you have seen many doctors in your lifetime. The doctor who delivered you as a baby, your pediatrician, your family doctor and any specialists throughout the years will have documentation regarding your health. A personal health record allows you to keep all this information neatly in one place, giving you total access to your lifelong medical history. A personal health record can also include any outside factors you don't always discuss with your doctor, such as stress level and amount of daily exercise. Whatever your reason for keeping a personal health record, keeping it organized is a key point in successful management.

Things You'll Need

• Prior health records
• Release forms
• File folders
• Filing cabinet or locked storage box
• Computer
• USB storage drive or external hard drive

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Instructions

• 1

  Request your personal health records from all physicians and treatment facilities where you have received medical care. You will likely need to fill out an authorization or release form for each facility or doctor. You might have to pay a small fee for copying or mailing your records to you.

• 2

  Determine your own system for organizing and storing your health information. You may want to store a hard copy of your personal medical records within a filing system. Or you can organize your information using a computer program designed to organize medical records. WebMD and Minerva are two websites offering these types of programs.

• 3

  Set up paper files for each portion of your medical record. You can separate your files by year, by doctor or by the medical condition being treated. Keep additional files for referrals and insurance papers as well.

• 4

  Keep a written paper chart documenting basic medical information, such as height, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. You can update this information after each medical visit.

• 5

  Keep your paper medical files in a filing cabinet or locked box. Medical records are confidential information and protected by the Heath Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA), so you will be required to keep the information safe, particularly if you are managing another family member's record.

• 6

  Sign up for a personal health information website or purchase software to help your organize your record. WebMD offers a free template for you to organize your medical record, as well as that of your children, online.

• 7

  Enter your health information into the online template. Start with basic information, such as height, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. For WebMD's health template, this information will be entered in the Health Quotient section.

• 8

  Open the Health Record tab to enter information related to medical conditions, medications, allergies, visits, procedures, immunizations and medical tests/results.

• 9

  Track any changes in your personal health information using the Health Trackers tab. Here you can enter information regarding your blood pressure, eye exams, blood sugar, pap smears, breast exams, prostate exams, stress and weight management.

• 10

  Back up any information on your computer using a USB storage device or other external storage unit to prevent loss of the information.

• 11

  Update your personal health record, regardless of your chosen storage method, after every medical visit or procedure. Review your personal health record every few months with your doctor to be sure all information is current and up to date.