by Leonard Achan RN, MA, ANP

Many people are skeptical about the new push for electronic medical records (EMRs). While many companies like Google are making it easy and appealing for patients to transfer all of their documents onto their secure sites, it seems almost impossible to fully trust them with your most valuable medical information.

The majority of the population still seem to feel that there is something unsafe about having all of their medical information zipping across cyberspace. We will leave it to our readers to decide what the safest and best options are for storing their valuable information online. I will highlight the pros and cons of the top five services in a future article. For now, the focus of this article will be to tell you about an alternative which, in my experience, has helped save critical time and countless lives over the years. The big secret here is how you can gather your own medical records and safely secure them on your own computer, thumb drive or even your paper file draw. In situations where you may not be able to advocate for yourself and family is stressed and worried, you should afford yourself and your loved ones the ability to have all your records ready and available for the health care providers so that they can have all the necessary information to start treating you quickly and effectively.

We can begin by asking a simple question. When you or your loved ones have exams, tests or imaging such as X rays, ultrasounds  MRI’s, etc. do you ever ask for copies?

Did you know that when going to a physician’s office, lab or radiological center you could call ahead or even ask at the front desk (on arrival) that your images be copied onto a CD after the test?  Tell them you can wait after the test in case it only takes 10-15 minutes and that it is important that you leave with them on a CD.

When you’re admitted to the hospital or even visit an emergency room, do you ever request your medical records, your X-rays/imaging or notes from exams? Did you know that you can do that before being discharged by filling out and signing a medical information release form? They can then mail your file to you at home or you can pick it up another day. Most medical centers now have the ability to even copy those files to electronic PDF files. They charge minimal fees for this but it is priceless info to have since you may need it during your most vulnerable times.

Files copied to CD’s give you the ability to easily transfer them onto your computer. You can then organize them into a desktop file for easy management or save them onto your own thumb drive where you can keep all your records and medical images ‘portable’. If that is too technical for you, then simply keeping these CD’s and records at home in a file draw can be a lifesaver.  This makes the file ready and available at all times. Either of these options would be the best way to keep a medical record of your own. Calling your physicians office today and getting printouts of your labs or tests as well as written reports of your exams is an ideal way to start building your own medical record at home. It’s never too late as long as you know where to get your information. So make some calls today and start building your file. If you have any questions or need guidance, just ask in the comments section below.

Flickr: Optical illusion -The University of Groningen's Medical Facility

By J.D’Abbraccio RN, MSN

The “Green” movement in hospitals has taken finally taken momentum in the United States. More and more hospitals are starting to understand the long term impact of going green. Why is that important? Did you know that the U.S. health care sector accounts for almost one tenth of the country’s carbon-dioxide emissions? A report by University of Chicago researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that the health care sector accounted for 16% of U.S. gross domestic product. What was most disturbing was that health care contributed to 8 percent of the United States’ total carbon-dioxide output. The analysis found that hospitals were by far the largest contributor of carbon emission. The researchers attributed this to the high energy demands needed for temperature control, ventilation and lighting in large hospital buildings.

What does it mean to for a hospital to be “Green?”  It means a hospital is trying to be environmentally friendly and proactive about leaving a smaller carbon footprint on the planet. It means they are more efficient with energy by utilizing green technology, such as smart efficient heating and cooling systems, high-efficiency glass, solar panels, LED lights, digital thermostats, low-flow faucets, automatic on/off light switches, recycled products and material to name a few. Also, hospitals are focusing their attention on new ways to be more inventive with waste management and recycling. What kind of impact does a green hospital have on its patients?  Green health care design does promote a more healing environment through more natural daylight, outdoor views, landscaping, improved ventilation, better indoor air quality, efficient lighting, low-impact materials and furnishings, and a more relaxed atmosphere.

Why now? Many health care organizations are starting to really understand the long term financial impact of going green. Besides the numerous environmental and health benefits, the combination of affordable new green products, green grants and tax credits, and potential for huge financial savings are really driving this change. Companies like AMSOLAR (www.amsolarcorp.com ) work on innovative models for educational and medical institutions thinking of best practices and solutions on how to maximize investments made by hospitals who decide to go green. Hospitals can spend millions of dollars monthly just for energy. Why wouldn’t a hospital want to save millions by being more efficient? Hospitals are analyzing up-front costs of green technology and are determining that is will usually balance out against long-term savings. Going green may save millions of dollars over the years. Also, the competition for attracting patients plays a big role too. Many patients are looking for clean, efficient, and up to date rooms while recovering from illness. Being green gives the public an enhanced perception that a health care provider is environmental sensitive and cares about the community.

More and more hospitals are going green. It seems like the green message to save the planet is becoming clearer and clearer everyday. Reduce waste and your carbon footprints wherever you can. As a potential patient/customer, will the green movement affect where you will go for your healthcare? Do you think this will improve the quality of care being delivered? Have you been in a “green” hospital? If so, please share your experience and thoughts.

Flickr: iPhonewiz

by J. D’Abbraccio RN, MSN

Do you have an email address? Chances are that your doctor has one too. Have you ever asked your doctor for their email address? Could you email your doctor right now if you wanted to? The answer is probably not. The truth is that most doctors are not interested in email contact with their patient. According to statistics gathered by the American Medical Association and Medem’s Fifth Physicians ‘Use of the Internet’ study: “more than 90% of consumers say they would like to correspond with their doctor online, but the surveys suggest only 5% to 10% of doctors use e-mail in patient care.”

As we already know from our every day personal use, e-mail can be a great tool for communication if used appropriately. When it comes to managing our healthcare, why can’t patients use e-mail for routine matters such as requesting prescription refills, test results, appointments, medical documents and asking simple non-emergent questions. This can lead to the decrease traffic of telephone calls and better patient satisfaction from not having to remain on phone to speak to someone, or wait all day for a physician to call back and avoid unnecessary trips to the doctor’s office. The list of reasons can go on and on.

Latest technological advances with mobile devices such as Blackberry, iPhones, and wireless laptops have made it more convenient for doctors and patients to correspond with each other at any time and from anywhere in the world.

So why aren’t majority of doctors using emails to communicate with their patients? Some of the reasons may include the trepidation that their workload may increase without financial compensation or that patients will send urgent e-mails that don’t get answered promptly resulting in increased health risk for the patient as well as potential liability and confidentiality issues. However, if doctors can provide clear written guidelines to patients on emailing protocol, apprehension of using email may eventually fade away.

Here is a link on The American Medical Association Website which provides guidelines for Physician-Patient Electronic Communication:

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/member-groups-sections/young-physicians-section/advocacy-resources/guidelines-physician-patient-electronic-communications.shtml

Do you think it is about time that every doctor should provide their patient the option to communicate via email? Would you email your doctor for routine matters if the option was available? Tell us what you think.