- Top Five Reasons to Use a PHR:
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- A PHR helps your doctors provide better-informed care.
- Using a PHR may save you money.
- Advanced PHRs can scan your tests, prescriptions and treatment recommendations, alerting you and your doctor of opportunities to improve care.
- Keeping an updated PHR can help you comply with treatment recommendations.
- A PHR is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether you're five or five hundred miles away from home.
If you were displaced by a natural disaster or rushed to the emergency room after an accident, you will likely have your wallet and identification with you. But you probably won't have immediate access to your personal medical history, including past tests, allergies to medications and effective (or ineffective) treatments for chronic conditions. Having your health records readily available online can impact the quality of care you receive when you're far away from home or experiencing an emergency.
A Personal Health Record (PHR) organizes health information in a secure, password-protected online record. And since it's always at your fingertips — maintained on the Internet — having a PHR can be a critical resource, whether you're going for your yearly check-up or facing a more serious issue, such as a surgery.
Your PHR compiles detailed claims information typically added by your insurer, such as doctors' visits, labs, treatments and prescriptions, into a comprehensive record. You can then add your own personal information such as health history, specific conditions in the family, or whether you take over-the-counter medications. The personal information included is protected by The Privacy Rule, part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act a (HIPAA), which protects health information that can be linked to an individual.
In addition to the insurance claims and medical information, some advanced PHRs offer personalized messages and alerts. Advanced technology will scan the information listed in the PHR, comparing your health data and claims information against medical literature. When appropriate, your insurer then alerts you, your doctor, and in some cases both of you about any contraindications or opportunities to improve care.
Ask your insurance company or employer if a PHR is available to you now, or if it will be in the future. Millions of consumers can expect to have a basic or more advanced online PHR available to them this year.
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