Medical Records

[travelingmad]

My wife and I are planning to retire this summer and start fulltime.

 

We are looking for suggestions on the best way to get and transport medical records. We have been looking at the ChartSpan app for the Iphone/Pad. Has anyone used this?

 

Also how far back are people getting records?

 

We have no major medical issues at this time.

 

Any information would be much appreciated.

[Barbaraok]

I use the app My Medical for the iPhone to have with us at all times, covers meds, insurance numbers, etc. As for records, unless you have something unusual, just scan in a copy of your last visit report along with the lab results. Lab results are what most physicians want - they are going to do the history/physical anyway, so having the last visit notes plus labs will get you started. Then just scan in (or download - more and more seem to have patient portals set up) your visits and the Lab Results. Also get a digital copy of things like latest mammograms (and dental X-rays) to take with you.

 

Barb

[2gypsies]

Years ago when we began full-timing it was recommended to carry your medical records with you. With today's technology hospitals and doctors can communicate easily, if necessary, without carrying the information. Your last lab tests, medication list and a list of past doctors should be carried and in a way where your spouse or kids know how to access it in an emergency - even carrying it hand-written in your wallet or purse is good if you don't want to put it on your phone. If you go to the same place for mammograms or dentists then those records aren't necessary to carry. Going to the same place for a mammogram is highly recommend so there's consistency. Perhaps if you stay in the same area in the winter or in summer, that would be a good place for your doctors once a year. They can then renew prescriptions over the phone.

[Kirk W]

We always carried at least 3 years of medical records with us, especially for Pam since she has continuing maintenance medications. In all of that time, we never once had any doctor interested in seeing them. What most any medical service provider will want it a complete list of all prescription medications with dosages. That we each carry on a card in our wallets. The wallet cards also list the name and phone numbers of all of the doctors that each of us have seen and that doctor's medical specialty.

 

With the easy availability of electronic medical records today, there is probably less need for a paper copy or for any type of copy that is kept with you but in the event of a major medical emergency, it still doesn't hurt to have them available.

[sandsys]

Besides my medical insurance card, I carried a copy of my last lab test results, a list of doctors with their phone numbers, and the receipts for my meds that came attached to them. Those receipts contain a lot of information that medical personnel might find useful since they give dosages as well as date of last refill plus prescribing doctor information.

 

Linda Sand

[Barbaraok]

A lot of pharmacies now have apps that you can use to call up your Rxs. We have an app for Express Scripts and Walgreens, so we can call up lastest refill, etc at any time. There are a lot of good apps out there that really make things so much easier now than when my folks fulltimed in the 80s.

 

Barb

[nana25k]

We use the My Health app on our IPhone and it contains all of our pertinent info. I also have some medical alerts about drug interactions for Ron as he is on a couple specialty drugs that many Dr would not know about without looking them up as well as hthe location of said medication in our RV because one of them would not necessarily be in stock even in a hospital pharmacy.

I carry a CD with a few MRI and X-ray made by the testing g hospital as well. Last labs ec.

But again with a couple health issues for Ron it's important to have his stuff

[Solo18]

Because I travel and live alone, I carry a single-page paper document that includes my insurance information, names and phone numbers of kids, medical history summary, and list of current medications. And I print this out and put it in a place where EMS people will find it. Usually they like it in a specific emergency information folder on your refrigerator or inside the refrigerator--clearly labeled. I also carry copies in my purse.

 

While it is nice to have information on a cell phone or your laptop, EMS may not look there, hence my printing out this single page document.

 

My hospital and related doctors also make records available online. Some doctors and hospitals can access them and some cannot, so I downloaded pdfs of all the recent blood tests and cat scans I have had, and carry those on a flash drive I keep in my purse.

 

For other records, such as vehicle insurance, and such, I keep a plastic hanging folder bin in a locked storage area.

[gjhunter01]

Our fifth wheel camper has a built in computer desk. The desk drawer is the same size as a file cabinet drawer, so I mounted the wire hangers inside and just moved all the hanger files from the house to the cabinet drawer. Just like home, I have all my files with us. You could also get a small 2 drawer file cabinet to put in a closet or someplace.

Greg

[Ray,IN]

I have a daughter who heads the computer dept. for a local hospital. She said the first directive to hospital workers is to never connect to any outside computer, thumb drive, DVD, etc. That eliminates that avenue for carrying ones medical records to share with medical personnel.

Indiana University now controls most hospitals in Indiana, they will not allow out of network incoming emails to staff computers, they maintain a stand-alone computer system, not connected to their hospital system. All out-of-network emails are received by that stand-alone system. If a email is received, it's immediately scanned for malware, etc.; when found to be clean, only then is it forwarded to the appropriate dept.

Paper is the best way to carry one's medical records that is not already electronically-maintained, IMO.

 

Heed the advice of the full-timers and "retired" full-timers here, They have experienced this for years = personal knowledge.

[LFDR3116]

We have had a couple of friends that have required surgery while south in the winter and away from their regular doctors. One for a chest mass that was biopsied 3 yrs ago and was non-malignant, but was suspected to be malignant now, and the other knee replacement and the rods pulled loose from the bone. In both cases the doctors here contacted the prior surgical location and doctors and had their records "mailed" directly to them. After review, they then scheduled the surgery here. I had to see a different dentist and he had no interest in prior records as he needed to know what was going on "now". He took his own x-rays and recommended treatment based on what he saw currently.