I’ve never really realized the benefits of a Personal Health Record until I switched jobs earlier this year. In my previous employment, I had great coverage and all my information was stored in an Electronic Medical Record (EMR). I had access to my information such as lab reports and discharge summary. I could send emails to my doctor about non urgent questions and track my health profile including profiling how my weight was progressing over the course of years and how my vitals like BMI and blood pressure was changing as I progressed in age and wisdom. The only feature that was not available was the ability to see my radiology images. But for that, I had no other complaints.

Now that I’ve switched jobs, the coverage is great. I now have a PPO plan compared to an HMO plan before. I now have the freedom to choose any doctor, within the network of course. I can choose a doctor close to work or close to home. I have a lot more choices to choose from. But I am not happy with my situation. Why?

Apart from the lack of EMR, what I value most is the coordination of care. What many people don’t realize is that they lose the coordination of care that they could get by having a Primary Care Physician (PCP) who has the ability to store your information electronically. The availability of choice, though beneficial, also has disadvantages that patients don’t realize.

As part of my new plan, I decided to go and see a doctor. I called and set up an appointment. Later, I had a doubt whether this doctor had an EMR. So, I called again only to find that they use a computer only to register incoming patients. That was about it. I thought really hard and finally decided to cancel my appointment. I am not sure how many people are like me. But one things is for sure. Future generations will definitely seek electronic access to personal health information and those who cannot provide i will be left behind.