How to Keep YOUR Medical Records in Order for Optimal Care

B'SD

18 Tishrei, 5779

Whew I've had a busy day. I needed a bit of a rest to recover from yesterday's fun in the hot sun with friends (we'd gone to an annual music, food, and fun festival). I also needed to meet some journalism deadlines. A rest, write, relax, write some more routine filled my morning.

Now I'm addressing you. One of the many features in the 
EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge book is the chapter on how to organize your medical life, paperwork included. Here's an example of why such organization techniques are necessary. A very tired, very worried doctor wrote about the problem in...

Fragmented medical records 
are causing a lot of unneeded 

duplicate procedures, medical errors, 
and other problems, 

Ilana Yurkiewicz, MD, writes. (Undark)

Back to this blog and your need to keep paperwork in order: Learn how to easily acquire a complete copy of your medical records from every doctor or rehabilitation facility that worked on you. Read the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Buy it TODAY! 

Keep your medical records in order so that medical professionals can understand what you've been through. Help them to provide optimal care, not services or medications that you don't need.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your time with purpose.

Here's How to Protect Your Medical History from Theft, Loss and...

B'SD

22 Adar 1, 5776

The world is full of cyberthieves, and full of robbers who work without computers, too. MANY of them are interested in stealing your medical information in order to receive free health care (at your physical, medical, emotional and financial expense), free drugs, and/or blackmail money.

Because of them, I'm warning you:

Seriously, you NEED to preserve your medical records, and those of everyone in the family. ASAP. 

Need more proof? Read:

Baltimore hackers say they reveal potentially deadly cybersecurity weaknesses at area hospitals

Area hospitals are riddled with cybersecurity flaws that could allow attackers to hack into medical devices and harm patients, a team of Baltimore-based researchers…

BALTIMORESUN.COM|BY BALTIMORE SUN

Need to know a streamlined way 
to preserve your medical history?

Read all about it in doctor-recommended

It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a…

BOOKLOCKER.COM

Protect yourself and your loved ones. Learn how to preserve your medical histories simply, safely and carefully. In the event of cybertheft of your medical identity(ies), you'll have proof of your actual medical needs and history.

Still don't believe that you need to take protective action? Look at the results below for one simple GOOGLE search for the phrase "Why thieves steal medical records":

Why Thieves Want to Steal Your Medical Records

www.cheatsheet.com/.../why-your-medical-data-is-worth-enough-to-steal...

Mar 29, 2015 - Why Thieves Want to Steal Your Medical Records ... personal information in order to receive medical care, buy drugs, or submit fake claims.

How Identity Theft Sticks You With Hospital Bills - WSJ

www.wsj.com/.../how-identity-theft-sticks-you-with-hospital-bills-1438966...

Aug 7, 2015 - Thieves use stolen personal data to get treatment, drugs, medicalequipment ... A patient's record may show she has diabetes when she doesn't, say, ....“They steal your medical identity and have a procedure or treatment  ...

Medical identity theft - Coalition Against Insurance Fraud

www.insurancefraud.org/scam-alerts-medical-id-theft.htm

Thieves steal your personal information to line their own pockets with fraudulent ...Unless you check your medical records closely, you may discover you were ... use your identity to obtain prescription drugs to sell, or feed their own addictions.

Medical Records Theft and Fraud - Schneier on Security

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/09/medical_records.html

Sep 26, 2014 - Tags: crime, cybercrime, data breaches, fraud, medicine, theft ... and if they have a health record to steal they've been to the same facilities.

The Rise Of Medical Identity Theft In Healthcare | Kaiser ...

khn.org/news/rise-of-indentity-theft/

Feb 7, 2014 - Meanwhile, the law's emphasis on digitizing medical records, touted as a way to boost ... of Medicaid patients in order to illegally obtain prescription drugs. ...ranging from stealing laptops to hacking into computer networks,  ...

Your medical record is worth more to hackers than your ...

www.reuters.com/.../us-cybersecurity-hospitals-idUSKCN0HJ21I201409...

Sep 24, 2014 - Fraudsters use this data to create fake IDs to buy medical equipment ordrugs that can be resold, or they combine a patient number with a false  ...

Patients Beware: Hackers Are Targeting Your Medical ...

www.healthline.com › Healthline News

Jan 7, 2015 - ... to electronic medical records, hackers are finding that stealing your... also using it to illegally obtain prescription drugs or medical equipment.

Medical ID Theft: How Scammers Use Records To Steal ...

www.makeuseof.com/.../medical-id-theft-scammers-use-records-steal-ide...

Oct 3, 2014 - Why would a thief want to know you had knee surgery or are onmedication of pneumonia? What's forgotten is that these records include all of  ...

Medical ID Theft / Fraud Information | Fraud | Office of ...

oig.hhs.gov/fraud/medical-id-theft/

Medical identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information (like your... obtain medical care, buy drugs, or submit fake billings to Medicare in your name. ...to you if wrong information ends up in your personal medical records.

Save yourself and your loved ones from avoidable grief and endangerment. 

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Find out how to easily preserve your medical histories so that you can protect your health and the family's.

The book can't stop thieves, but it can inform you how to preserve your medical identity so that you can receive the care you need.





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your schedule with necessary to-do tasks. 
Then DO THEM!

Here's How to See YOUR Path to Better health!

B'SD

26 Shvat 5771


As a former Health Information Management professional, and as a former patient, I'm struck at how simple and sensible the plan described below can be: Get engaged with your own medical information to better protect your health!

Need a Resource Center for

Meeting MORE of Your Medical Needs?

Here it is!


E-book

http://www.booklocker.com/books/4244.html
Buy it TODAY.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

The 5-Step Plan for Getting Copies of Your Medical Records

B'SD

24 Tamuz 5770

My cyberlife includes a LinkedIn presence, where I communicate with professionals and laypersons from all walks of life.

One of those people posted a question yesterday, asking how to obtain someone else's medical records with proper authorization. She also asked if everything is in digital format these days, what's called EMR or Electronic Medical Records. My reply to her might be helpful to you, too:

A former Health Information Management
professional who helped the public while I
conferred with lawyers, insurance
companies, statisticians and in-house
personnel, I can tell you how to
accomplish your goal.

1. Electronic Medical Records
do not exist at all
medical offices. Some
practitioners still
use paper only.

2. You need to reach the person
in charge of medical records
at each & every relevant
office, ask about the procedure
for obtaining medical records
and/or abstracts (snippets/
summaries of the main
points in the patient's
medical files), and follow
the protocol as it exists.
Cutting corners won't work as
it endangers the patient's
confidentiality, the
medical office's integrity
and your trustworthiness.

3. Keep a detailed log/diary
of all communications so you
can follow up your efforts
with accurate information.
Note names, dates, contact
info and comments made by
all parties.

4. Keep whatever you receive
in confidence. DO NOT share a
hint or a peek of anything.
Patient confidentiality is a
most sensitive area. You have
no idea whom or how badly
you're hurting someone by
disclosing private medical
information. There's a reason
it's so hard to get hold of
someone else's medical files.

5. For ease of review, I
recommend that you buy a
multi-pocket binder so you
can insert each packet of
information (discs, paper
records, whatever) separately,
keeping things accessible,
readable and safe from
folding, spindling and
other mutilation. DO NOT
EAT OR DRINK near medical
records. Spills obliterate
necessary text. Usually the
part you need most.

Yocheved Golani http://www.linkedin.com/in/yochevedgolaniink http://twitter.com/yochevedgolani http://www.yochevedgolani.com/http://itsmycrisisandillcryifineedto.blogspot.com/

Self-Help coach Yocheved Golani is the author of highly acclaimed E-book "It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge" (http://www.booklocker.com/books/4244.html)

Identity Theft from Local Photocopiers!

B'SD

15 Sivan 5770


It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge recommends that you make copies of your medical papers for easier sorting and record-keeping. But the New York Times warns us that you'd better use a friend's photocopy machine, or your own. Public copiers are being used to stead identities. Read

Identity Theft from Copiers

Be careful out there.

Want to learn how to simply and affordably store your medical records so you can easily find what you need for insurance purposes or medical appointments? Read EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. It holds several good suggestions.

Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life

WIN the Medical Paperwork Struggle in 1 Simple Step!

B'SD


27 Nisan 5770



You're not the only patient who believes that medical paperwork is a nightmare.

The New York Times Wellness blog has a compelling essay and reader response interaction going on at Paperwork vs. Patients. Check out response #41.

Want more effective ideas for taming the paperwork monster? EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. BUY IT today!




Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life

10 Secrets Your Therapist Might Not Tell You!

B'SD


17 Tishrei 5770



Full disclosure is a legal term. It's also a moral imperative.

Here's why EMPOWER Yourself cautions you to choose respectful, caring mental health professionals: 10 Secrets Your Therapist Won't Tell You.

There's a gem of a Global Resource included in

It's a tool for finding the right mental health professional in your part of the map.

You can further protect your interests by verifying the integrity of a therapist with professional mental health organizations and local mental health regulators.

EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical or Mental Health Challenge.

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life