HHS HealthBeat (October 6, 2009)

Keeping track of your health information

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Good health care depends on clinicians having accurate information about their patients.

The director of HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, says you can help by keeping track of your health care information in a personal health record:

[Dr. Carolyn Clancy speaks] "The medicines you take, your allergies and your medical history all make you medically unique, and can affect your treatment."

A personal health record can be as simple as a paper file. Or it could be a secure electronic file kept in a database that you can access from a computer.

[Dr. Carolyn Clancy speaks] "Keeping track of your medical information makes you an active partner in your health care, it allows you to ask good questions about your care."

Either way, it should be thorough and complete.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011