Medical Records on the Road (how?) - Montana Owners Club

Longwell · 10-18-2007, 05:49 PM

I planned on taking our medical records on paper, but realized that they would be in the Montana and thus not available if something happened to us when not there.
Then I thought to put them on our laptops but realized that we would have to carry a laptop everywhere we went.
Now I am exploring online web-based sites where the information can be stored, secured by ID and password, and available 24/7/356 for any medical provider to whom we give the ID & password.
Our records are now with doctors who have them all on paper so we'll have to scan them in and upload them somehow.
I have located several online sites, but haven't yet qualified them on how much storage they allocate or how you can upload documents.

Do any of you use such an online site? If so, would you mind sharing some particulars as to ease of usage, uploading experiences, online storage capacities and/or any real-life times it's been used to your benefit (or, hopefully not, to your chagrin)?

Thanks in advance for any information on this important item.
Larry

Mrs. CountryGuy · 10-18-2007, 08:16 PM

Larry,

What a great "out of the box" thought process.

I have just discovered that via hotmail.com I can store documents online, but my discovery is sooooooooooo new that I do not remember how much storage is there. I ran a test doc in, and it took. It was a zipped file of data, not a word processing document etc. Some other sites that I have looked at would not take the zip file.

Seeing that I am just now looking into this on line storage, I will be watching this with interest.

One would think that you would need method to keep those files updated, would you go back to the doctors you are using now, say, once a year, and get a physical and have them right new reports if necessary. How would you handle the situation if you require a doctor's attention while you are 22 states away from your doctor and use another??

Again, very interesting. Just had a middle of the night thought, would a flash drive be useful in this quest?? They can be purchased quite reasonable now, and the storage amounts are quite impressive. You could carry on your key ring and have immediate access, no requirement for a password etc. It would be, however, kinda easy to loose and or subject to theft. Could you still save the documents and password protect a flash drive?

I'll just bet the computer guru's will be along soon with much better ideas.

Great subject/question!

refocused · 10-19-2007, 02:32 AM

Sounds like a good idea to have your records where they can be accessed quickly (in your computer, etc.). However, when Chuck had his blood clot episode on our trip several monthe ago, the hospital had our doctor here in San Antonio FAX everything to the hospital in California - the big drawback with that would be if you have a problem after hours and the doctors office is closed - guess we were lucky!

Suzanne

ols1932 · 10-19-2007, 02:46 AM

We don't have ours online but we do carry a medical summary from our family doctor with us. We can always go back to the rig and get them if needed. So far, in over seven years of full timing, we've never had to retrieve them. Additionally, when we have any medical work done on the road we always go to Medical Records and get a copy of what was done for us, medically. It's a whole lot better to have the hard copy readily available if you need it. What with everything we carry in our rig, what's a few more sheets of paper? :-)

Glenn and Lorraine · 10-19-2007, 05:56 AM

I store a lot of stuff on the Internet but something as personal as my medical records is not going to be one of them.
If anything I would put them on one of these new USB Flash Drives also referred to as Memory Sticks.
They plug into any USB port and can be used on any computer w/USB. They are small and will fit in your pocket or DW's purse. You could have a number of them for each vehicle and on your person. Get enough Gigs and you and the DW's records can be in separate files on the same stick.
If your doctor already has your file in his computer in all likelyhood he could download them onto your stick.

Longwell · 10-19-2007, 06:45 AM

Thanks for the replies so far.

Carol: Updating the files could be as simple as asking any treating healthcare personnel to provide you with a hard copy of their treatment for you, scanning it in and uploading it. I plan to use healthcare facilities wherever I am and not travel all the way back to Pennsylvania for a physical or whatever. This is why I would want my files separate from the current doctor's computer, and in a place where I could update them.
Currently, only 2% of doctors' offices are computerized, with my Primary Healthcare Provider (PHP) being one of that 2%. He's been computerized for about 1 1/2 years, yet in a discussion with his office yesterday I found out that there is no way for them to transfer individual medical records from their computer at this time.
One site I located allows the use of the flash drives, but the site is designed to be purchased and originated from one specific doctor, not initiated by a patient.

PS: hotmail.com now has 5GB of storage for free and 10GB for $20/year, which should be enough if we choose that option.

Suzanne: What you described with the Fax was lucky. In many cases the Internet would be the only source available 24/7/365 which is why we are looking at that source.

Orv: We are not worried about the paper weight issue. It's just that, say, when sight-seeing we were in an automobile crash and both injured or, we were hiking and one was injured and the other didn't want to leave to go back to the trailer to get the hard copies, or one of us was in one place and the other in another place (across the country visiting) and the hard copy wasn't where the sick one was. This is why we want a 24/7/365 source for our records to be available to whomever is treating us.

Glenn: The flash drives may work if the system for storing the data allows them. Most PCs and laptops do. I'm not too worried about the security issue since the files on most sites I've located so far are as protected as possible with IDs, encryption, passwords, etc. and are not any more vulnerable than my PC is when online, in spite of firewalls, virus scan, etc. A hacker, as you know, isn't deterred, just determined. However, the flash drive idea is certainly a valid one and could well be our fall-back position.

My research has just begun, so I will post as I discover; please do the same, OK? This discussion should be a great help.
It may turn out that we just get hard copies, scan them in, upload them and make them available ourselves, without a formal system of someone else's software, although I like the idea of encryption and security softward being involved. We just don't know yet.
Thanks again.
Larry

Glenn and Lorraine · 10-19-2007, 08:02 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Longwell

Thanks for the replies so far.

PS: hotmail.com now has 5GB of storage for free and 10GB for $20/year, which should be enough if we choose that option.

5 Gig would be way more than enough room.

1 gig = 1,073,741,824 bytes or 1,024 megabytes.
I have built many large websites using less than 300 meg.

giga- a combining form meaning “billion”, used in the formation of compound words: gigabyte.
byte- A sequence of adjacent bits operated on as a unit by a computer. A byte usually consists of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of alphanumeric data). Amounts of computer memory are often expressed in terms of gigabytes (1,073,741,824 bytes).

Probably more than you needed to know but what the heck.

BirdingRVer · 10-19-2007, 11:25 AM

Larry,

This might be the what you are looking for:

http://www.medicalert.org/E-Health/

MedicAlert has what they call E-HealthKey.

I have no experience with this item but I thought it sounded like what you had in mind.

Longwell · 10-19-2007, 03:38 PM

Right on BirdingRVer!!!
This appears to be the best of both worlds; online capabilities and onsite flash drive for medical aid.
I have sent them a request for information regarding number of records, file sizes, storage limitations, etc. and when I hear from them I will post the results.
Medic Alert is known and used worldwide. I have used it when I ran ambulance for 2 fire departments. I didn't know about the flash drive option though.
Thanks very much for the information.
Larry

rogue · 10-19-2007, 05:06 PM

Larry, Have you thought about using a rewritable CD and putting the documents on the CD? You could carry the CD in the RV while traveling, and take it with you to the Doctors office. No need to password, and if you scan the documents in as a JPG file, they would be very readable on any system. Using the rewritable CD allows you to keep adding to it as needed.

Thanks for asking about this, makes me think I need to get some updated documents from the doc, and create a CD for myself.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 10-19-2007, 05:37 PM

That site looks interesting, some of you that really understand medical stuff, I am interested in your take on what is offered.

Another point to ponder, whatever media you might consider for storage of your scanned records, remember that you will be carrying them around. A CD or DVD will hold lots of scanned images, yes, but they are subject to scratching and I believe they have an upper limit on heat?? If you leave in your truck??? I guess music CD's are ok, but are data ones from our computers?? I don't know the answer.

The beauty of the flash drive is the size. They are SWEET!

Again, Larry, this is a great thread! I for one am learning a lot! Thanks

Longwell · 10-19-2007, 05:54 PM

Rouge, yes I thought of the CD idea but wrote it off because I want something that is available anywhere, anytime and I don't want to carry a CD when I'm hiking, biking, or in very hot temperatures and so forth. We may both be injured, unconscious or under great stress when the medics/doctors/etc. need the information, so I think it should be available no matter what happens or where it happens.

Most people don't think about this a lot but after 20+ years in volunteer fire departments I have seen many times when information was direly needed and not available at the scene.

The best bet so far seems to be the flash drive on our persons, coupled with the online backup which offers other services such as notifying emergency contacts, etc. as shown on their above site (at Medic Alert).

I'm waiting for more information from them so I can post it.

Thanks for the interest and input though.

Larry

D and M On The Road · 10-20-2007, 08:41 AM

I have been working in the medical records field for 21 years now. The health center where I work will not take a patient's flash drive and bring it up on department computers. However, we will load a CD from another medical facility. I've also run across other health facilities that practice this.

If I was traveling alot and could afford it, I'd go with a plan like the MedicAlert Gold Plan ($9.95/month per person) and wear a MedicAlert bracelet that would allow medical personnal access to my medical records whether I was conscious or not.

Longwell · 10-22-2007, 02:23 PM

Good info D&M, thanks.
I'm checking with them now. Sounds like the best bet, given the limitations of the flash drive not being accepted.
I'll let you know what I find.
Thanks again.
Larry

Mrs. CountryGuy · 10-22-2007, 02:33 PM

Could we have explained why they will use a CD or DVD but not a flash drive??? Curious minds want to know.

Thanks

And, if this is so, how does this company Grant and Larry found expect to sell their services??? They put the records on a flash drive, didn't they???

Color me confused (AGAIN!)

rogue · 10-22-2007, 02:58 PM

Carol, Only a guess here, but by installing a flash drive you are adding another drive. It could be they are afraid that
there may be an automated program that could harm their system, or download records to someother location. This is not possible with the CD or DVD.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 10-22-2007, 04:07 PM

Ole Carol remembers when you could go to a public library and use a 3 1/4 inch disk in their computers. Then they started worrying about virus and worms and all that nasty stuff, so they locked the "A" drive.

Don't see a lot of computers in public places that allow me to use MY CD or DVD, I always figured, same reason. I have not looked for flash drive use.

Rogue, I surely do not have enough computer hacker intelligence to argue your point. But, I think you can put nasty stuff on every media.

Anyone else got any additional insight on this??? Please share. Hopefully D and M On The Road will surf back in and give us benefit of her experience.

I find this thread soooooooo interesting, again, thanks for everyone's input, and thanks Longwell (Larry) for posting your original question.

ON EDIT: This is maybe part of why I am confused, I thought a flash drive was just another storage media. A hard drive is a storage media, a CD or DVD or flash drive are storage media. I must really be missing something here, what is the difference?? OHHH, my poor tired brain! Tis smokin!

rogue · 10-22-2007, 04:23 PM

Carol, The CD/DVD unless they are rewritable, are read only. I think it is harder to put bad stuff on a read only device than a read write device like the "A" drive or the flash drive. Also they do not want to be responsible for your copying anything or programs from their computer. Copy right and fee's etc.

Longwell · 10-22-2007, 04:36 PM

I got an answer from MedicAlert on the flash drive option and it sounds very limited for anything but basic emergency information, as follows:

"You may wish to contact your physician regarding accessing your information stored on the E-HealthKEY; as well as their method of uploading your medical history to the E-HealthKEY. Your physician may have the capability of uploading test results, such as x-rays and other images onto your KEY for you. You may scan and store approximately four documents (my emphasis) on your E-HealthKEY; depending on the size of the images.

For a MedicAlert Advantage Member, the cost of the E-HealthKEY will be $49.95. To purchase the E-HealthKEY, requires a MedicAlert membership. The MedicAlert enrollment fee is $39.95. The total cost to enroll in the MedicAlert service and purchase the E-HealthKEY is $89.90. There is an additional cost to order an emblem, depending on metal and style."

I think the Gold Membership may be the way to go, with a medallion or bracelet with the MedicAlert symbol on it and instructions of the back of the medallion or bracelet to go to the website to access all medical records. It is $9.95/month for each of us, but if it is needed, it would be priceless. We could skip eating out one night and have this paid for.

I sent an inquiry to find out how much storage is available in the online system and should receive an answer this week. If it is large enough to handle many scanned-and-uploaded records I think that is the way we will go.

I'll post an update as soon as I receive a reply.

Larry

Mrs. CountryGuy · 10-22-2007, 04:45 PM

You mean someone uses write only CD's??

Hey, black sense of humor here.

I can see where if you use write only media you cannot steal other info from a computer.

BUT, don't you think the office staff, or nurses or something would be using your flashdrive or other media, NOT you?? Like they are gonna let me near their computers, beside, I probably would not be in any shape to really care - - hey fix me up here folks!

OKKK, you guys can tell I have been working too hard or having too much of that funny adult beverage stuff.

But, my real point here, is, (I THINK) that no matter what the media, you could, if you were intent on it, put something nasty on it. There are EXE files on all kinds of media. So, I was a bit surprised that a medical office would accept a CD, but not a flash drive loaded with medical records.

OKKK, I'll take my sick mind and find a place to store it!

You may also like: