As a genealogist, you may have spent quite a bit of effort collecting information about your medical family tree. This valuable tool cannot help anyone, however, if it sits in a box, or stays on your computer, inaccessible by relatives and their physicians. There are some free web services that will not only hold onto your medical records, but will give your doctor access to them.
When you visit a new doctor, you get asked a lot of questions. Obviously, the doctor wants to know your name, age, and the reason why you made an appointment. You can expect to be asked if you happen to have health insurance, and if so, the name of the company it is with.
Once you finally get to see the doctor, he or she will ask you many questions about your health, and the health of your relatives and ancestors. This is where a medical family tree can come in handy. It is also helpful if you happen to have your records with you from your previous doctor’s office. Most people forget to bring that kind of information with them when they visit the doctor, especially if they are there because they are feeling really sick.
One good way to make sure that your doctor can access your medical history is to put it on a website. There are quite a few that exist now, and each one makes sure that your privacy will not be invaded. Many of them are free to use, and can be accessed by your doctor.
Microsoft Health Vault connects to a list of insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, and even pharmacies that you can collect your information from. You can also share this information with your doctor.
This free service helps you track your chronic conditions and health goals. If your relatives are using Microsoft Health Vault too, then you can share your information with them, and they can share it with you (assuming you both wish to do that).
Google health is free to use as well. It also allows you to organize your health history online. You can track your health goals, and monitor your progress with this service, too.
Google Health also lets you share your health information with your “care network” which can include your doctors, your family members, or your friends. You can print out a “pocket sized” copy of your health history if you would prefer to hand the information to your doctor.
WebMD Health Manager is another free service you can use. Again, this is a great place to collect your personal health information, and you can share it with your doctor. This website asks you a lot of questions about your health and then gives you a numerical rating indicating how good, or bad, your health is overall. It explains ways that you could improve your health, if you choose to do so.
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