Lately, there’s been quite a bit of talk about health care reform both on a government level, and also on an individual level. And two things that are mentioned often in this conversation are electronic health records (EHR’s) and personal health records (PHR’s). What are they, and how do they affect you?

To start out, electronic health records are really nothing more than medical records in digital formats. These are better than regular, paper medical records because they can be sent via the internet, edited on the go, and allow for more automated workflow that minimizes the risk of reporting errors in various healthcare settings.

Personal health records, however, differ from EHR’s in the fact that they are kept by the individual rather than the healthcare provider. PHR’s contain information about your allergies, medications, past illnesses and medical conditions, surgeries, and vaccinations—among other healthcare related information. And since these are edited and maintained by the user, the user has complete control over them.

Now, you may be asking yourself why keeping a personal health record would be beneficial. First, it all goes back to control and the ability to enter ALL of your and your family's medical information into it. If you fell ill a couple months ago and used an over-the-counter medication, you can enter this into your record, where this may normally not be noted by any doctors if you didn’t go into the doctor’s office. You can This

The second reason that it’s beneficial to keep a PHR is that once you have it safely stored online, you can have it anywhere you go. If you are ever traveling and need to go to an unfamiliar doctor or hospital, having this information can facilitate your healthcare experience.

Keeping a PHR is being more and more commonplace on the individual level. Orggit not only allows you to keep your own personal health record, but also helps to facilitate entering your information by prompting you with categories and templates. You can also print out your entire PHR with the click of one button once everything is filled out. You can read more about how Orggit can help with your medical records.


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