What’s the easiest, lightest, most important item we forget to (pack) bring with us when traveling? Travel app options range from GPS features, mapping, virtual photos, translators, gas finders, etc. However, the major fear of most travelers is they will get sick and not know how to communicate or share their medical history/insurance information with a hospital or clinic. When traveling with children or the elderly it is essential to have a clear record of their medical history in the event that they need treatment.
What is a Portable Health Record (PHR)?
A PHR is an electronic record of up-to-date, important information regarding medical needs, prescriptions, allergies, special instructions and physical examinations for you or your family members. Because it is electronic, it allows for ready to use information that is portable and travels with you for other healthcare providers to get information on your medical history in the event of an emergency or illness.
Why is a PHR app critical for Traveling?
1. Emergency situations: When going to the Emergency Department or doctor for an illness or injury, having your PHR readily availableon your SmartPhone will provide the necessary information for you to get treated properly. In the unfortunate event that you cannot communicate, family members can have your PHR on their phone to work with medical personnel.
2. Providing Care: MedXCom Patient App allows patients or family members to give permission to a doctor to review their medical history or care plan and outreach to your doctor via secure private messaging that is HIPAA compliant.
3. Child Care: Often families may leave their children while vacationing with day-care staff and babysitters and by doing so need an updated medical history and vaccination record on file with the child care center. A PHR will have this updated information on your SmartPhone for easy coordination of care. Over the past few years, it was common for people to store their PHR on paper, on a flash drive or CD. However, many hospitals or doctor’s offices will not use a flash drive or CD because they can contain computer viruses. Now, with over a billion SmartPhone users and with the advances in medical technology, it is critical to have a PHR on your SmartPhone when traveling or for everyday use. MedXCom Patient is a free HIPAA certified app that is essentially the only PHR for travelers that allows patients to have access to recorded conversations and secure texts with their doctors on their SmartPhone – it allows you to travel with your health records stored securely on your phone simply by uploading all medical information and records. Created by a physician, it has all the important features that are needed to control your healthcare when traveling.
One amazing feature of the app is that travelers can simply go on MedXCom and find a doctor in a specific area. Then, they can give permission to that doctor as part of their Portable Health Record and make an appointment. In doing so, the doctor will then obtain access not only to all the patient’s medical records but easy access to communicate with the patient’s primary doctors to discuss his/her care. The app is one of the very few that offers the patient and physician secure messaging allowing users to communicate directly with one another.
Features of MedXCom Patient include:
• HIPAA Certified – Health records are private and portable and privacy is of the utmost importance.
• One Record/One Source – allows all records to be stored in one secure place when you travel.
• Emergency Notification – Instantly notify your entire healthcare team of a medical crisis. The Glassbreak feature allows access to providers in the event of an emergency.
• All messages are archived for 23 years for your personal records.
MedXCom Patient gives you access to your information from wherever you are: in your home, at work, traveling abroad, visiting family in another part of the country, or sitting in a new doctor’s office. MedXCom Patient acts as your secure, HIPAA-compliant PHR.
Giffen Solutions, Inc., creators of MedXCom and MedXCom Patient, was founded in 2010 by three physicians who wanted to improve communication between themselves and their patients while facilitating collaboration between colleagues through current technology.
MedXCom is FREE and the app will keep you feeling safe and secure so you can enjoy your vacation or trip without worrying about a medical emergency. We cannot prevent emergency medical situations but we can arm you with the accurate information to coordinate care and treat you or your family in the event of a medical crisis.