What Is a PHR?
And Why Do I Need One?
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Keeping track of your prescriptions, past surgeries and lab results can be tough — this essential health information is usually scattered around various offices, files and drawers. A Personal Health Record (PHR) stores all of your health-related information in a password-protected online record. The at-a-glance record helps you play a more active role in your health care — and may even save you time and money. An estimated 70 million people have PHRs through their health insurers and millions more are expected to have this central resource available in the future.
What is a PHR?
Typically offered by health insurers, a PHR contains a snapshot of the health information that matters most, such as insurance claims, doctors' visits and prescribed medications. Some information is automatically added by your health benefits provider. In some cases you can also personalize your PHR by adding your own details — everything from immunizations to your family medical history and current diet and exercise regimens. Some PHRs also allow you to provide electronic access to your physicians.
PHRs are not to be confused with Electronic Health Records (EHR), which are typically maintained by your doctor, rather than your health insurer. An EHR provides real-time patient information to help doctors at the point of care, in the hospital or physician's office.
Why Do I Need a PHR?
Keeping your personal health information handy can make communicating with your doctor easier and more efficient. This enhanced communication can also help make the most of your doctors' visits, which leads to more informed, personalized care and fewer mistakes.
Tracking your prescriptions and doctors' visits will help you keep your own health top of mind and may help you better comply with treatment recommendations — after all, the more information you have at your fingertips, the more likely you are to follow your physician's advice, such as finishing all your antibiotics or sticking to your diet.
A PHR can come in handy when you're away from home — whether you're around the globe on vacation, or displaced from home due to a natural disaster. With a PHR, your health history is available online to you and your new physicians 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Using a PHR may also help you save money. If your doctor knows about your previous tests and lab results, he or she can avoid duplicate or unnecessary tests.
Is My Personal Information Protected?
Security is often a concern with personal information on the Internet. The privacy of a PHR is protected under a federal regulation. The Privacy Rule, part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), protects health information that can be linked to an individual. You can also talk to your insurer about options for increasing the privacy of your PHR — these may include eliminating certain details from your printed PHR and even turning off your PHR altogether. For more information about privacy standards, click here.
Talk to your insurance company and your employer to see if an online PHR is available to you.
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