Starting and keeping a personal health history is probably easier than you think. Although this might look like a daunting task at first, it is really quite easy once you get started. 

Begin by organizing all of the health information you have at home. Gather all information from:

  • Files at home containing information from physician visits or hospital admissions
  • Pertinent information that might be contained in billing records from physician or hospital visits
  • Identification cards or immunization records prepared by health care providers
  • Information provided by your pharmacy or with the prescriptions you receive
  • Information contained in insurance billings or other documents
  • All other sources or pertinent records containing relevent personal and family health history   

Once you have this information in a single location you are ready to begin building a personal health record (PHR).  You are also entitled to copies of all personal health information maintained by your physician or health care provider. You will want to discuss with them what information they have on file and how to obtain copies for your records as well.

Learn more about obtaining your health information from health care providers by reading Dave deBronkart’s ( @ePatientDave on Twitter  )  blog article entitled      “Gimme My D*** Data “.    

Managing your health information is like balancing your checkbook….it will become easier if you work on maintaining and updating your information regularly.

Gather information, organize it and share it on a regular basis with your health care providers.