Organizing Medical Information Part 2: What to Keep and Suggestions For Organization
As mentioned in part one, organizing your health information is vital to your ongoing care regardless of age. Therefore, it becomes more imperative if you are living with a chronic illness, multiple diagnoses, or are managing the healthcare of others in addition to your own. There are many ways to organize your information and this article will discuss what to keep and suggestions for how to manage it.
What To Include
As the heading suggests, this section discusses what documents to include when you organize your medical information. Typically, documents are presented at appointments, when discharged from an ongoing professional or hospital, or when you’ve received tests. If you didn’t receive documentation that you wish to include in your healthcare history, try determining if you have access to a patient portal. With healthcare information becoming increasingly digital thanks to federal and state laws, many healthcare facilities are giving patients access to their data through patient portals. You will be able to see your documentation with each agency and may be able to download and print your records.
If you do not have access to a patient portal or if the documents you seek are not listed or downloadable, contact your healthcare agency. Typically they will ask you to fill out paperwork to release your health information.
Here are some tips on what to keep track of:
Family medical history
This is typically on any medical form and usually requests health information regarding your immediate relatives, including parents, siblings, and grandparents
Personal history
Include each condition and date you received the diagnosis and how your doctor manages each condition. Also include proof of immunizations as well as allergies.List of in-patient and outpatient surgeries and dates, hospitalizations and accidents
Include discharge summaries from your hospitalizations which you can request upon being released. Also, include documentation of surgeries and follow-up care related to surgeries.Test results and pathology reports
Include regular/yearly tests and screenings such as mammograms, prostate screenings, blood workups, and other tests, including X-Rays, CT Scans or MRIs, and bone density reports. If you have cancer, include ongoing pathology reports to help monitor changes.List your prescriptions, medications, vitamins, and supplements
Include details such as names, dosage, method of administration, and what condition or symptom each drug treats. Also, include any side effects. This is important if the drug was discontinued due to side effects and another doctor wants to put you on a drug in the same class. In addition, you may wish to keep pharmacy printouts of each drug.Include all doctors and treatment centers involved in your care
List all your doctors and contact information, including phone and fax numbers. If dealing with a chronic illness, you may also wish to include doctors you are no longer seeing.Other professionals related to your conditions
This may include any therapy related to your illnesses, injuries, or surgeries, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Also, include any psychological and counseling care you’ve received. To detail other professionals, include the date range of treatment, frequency of visits, and initial assessments and discharge summaries.If caring for elderly individuals, include a list of eldercare supports you are receiving
Include information about in-home aides, services they receive, such as Meals On Wheels, and assistance from a healthcare manager. This information helps with an overall picture of how much assistance your loved one has been experiencing in making ongoing decisions.Medical bills
Keeping copies of your medical bills is necessary if you take medical tax deductions or are reimbursed for workman's comp. If you’ve been in an accident keeping your medical bills is essential if a lawsuit is involved.Insurance documents
Have proof of insurance start dates, premium payments and any insurance claims or appeals you have filed.
How To Organize
This will be individual to your needs, how many people you are organizing records for, and your method of organization. For example, suppose you are using a binder that you will bring to appointments. In that case, you should keep information from the past year and place any previous records in a filing cabinet for 7-10 years. Also, suppose you are managing information for more than just yourself while using a binder. In that case, anyone with a chronic illness or multiple conditions must have their own binder as documentation will pile up quickly. In addition, anyone you are managing care for outside of your household should also have their own binder.
Organizing for yourself only
Break information into the following significant categories, whether using digital folders, file cabinet folders or binder sections:
Medical history and information
This can be separated further based on the suggestions above. For example, if using digital or a file cabinet, have individual folders in this section to include personal history, test and pathology reports, medications, doctors, etc. If using a binder, it’s suggested to have separate items for easy locating.
Medical Bills
Insurance Information
You and Other Household Members
If there are no members in the household with chronic illness or multiple diagnoses that are unmanaged, a format similar to the above is recommended.
Family history at the start of the binder
A single page detailing all doctors that are seen by members of the family
Assuming that most families include children, it is likely that all the children in the family see the same pediatrician. However, it may even be possible that the adults see the same primary care physician as many households are under the same insurance.
Medical history
Include a separate section for each family member for their individual medical history
Medical bills
Again, include a separate section for each family member to increase the ease of finding information.
Insurance Information
This can also be separated by family member however, if everyone is under one policy, it may not be necessary to separate all the documents.
Individuals Outside of Your House
Use a separate folder, whether digital or file cabinet, for each member you manage and include information as listed in the “individual” section.
Suppose using a binder and are managing for parents still in one household and they are in relatively good health or their conditions are managed. In that case, a single binder is appropriate, with sections for each individual.
Organizing medical information is no easy task but well worth it, especially if you manage several individuals, have a chronic disease, or have other reasons to have easily portable information. Having your information and records in order can assist you and your healthcare providers in emergencies, staying updated about changes in conditions and determining the best course of action for ongoing treatment. Whether organizing for you, your household, or the individuals you manage, you will find management of care much easier if you find an organization system that works for you.