Medical Records
Keeping a Copy of Your Records
Empowered patients are those who become active members of their healthcare team. Obtaining and keeping copies of medical your records including images (X-rays, scans, CT, MRI) and lab results is good advice for any person receiving medical attention. For those who have chronic and/or rare conditions, it is even more crucial that these medical records are preserved.
Benefits
- Reduce unnecessary duplication of tests
- Assist new physicians or specialists in seeing the full picture of your health.
Tips
- One option for storing and transporting your records to and from appointments is to purchase an art portfolio holder. These carrying cases are usually sold in art supply stores and can easily accommodate large images and documents while providing privacy and protecting the items from the elements. Another idea is to keep electronic copies of this information (password-protected) on a jump drive that you can easily take with you to appointments.
- It is easiest if you ask for a copy of documents, images, and test results after each visit. It will save you from a headache later if you do not have to remember where and when a particular test was performed.
My Health Passport
My Health Passport is designed to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to share critical health information that might be needed for inpatient hospital/clinic visits. During these circumstances, an individual will interact with several health care professionals who might not be very familiar with providing care to someone with IDD. My Health Passport is an effort to overcome such barriers to optimal care, by providing pertinent and easily accessible information regarding that individual’s unique support needs. Other patient populations such as the Deaf and Hard of Hearing have commented on its utility for them as well.
My Health Passport is available free of charge in both English and Spanish. Versions can be downloaded here.
