Whatever health insurance plan you have it is important to keep a personal medical log. Keeping a medical log of things such as conversations with your physicians, different procedures and surgeries performed, and prescription drugs prescribed is a way for you to be a pro-active participant in your HMO plan or other health insurance plan you participate in. Besides having a better understanding of your own health through a personal medical log, you will also benefit by having a accurate account of what exactly was prescribed and performed just in case your doctor makes a mistake when insurance is billed. Mistakes in insurance billing happen and if you have forgotten exactly what took place in your medical care or have no personal documentations, then it may be harder for you to challenge your insurance company if needed.
There are three main reasons to keep a personal diary of your medical history and procedures:
1. Currently there is no database where a physician can obtain all your medical records.
2. If you need to challenge your insurance company’s decisions, you will have a handy record of all procedures performed.
3. Keeping a medical log is a way to personally take charge of your healthcare which will help you better understand your own health and remind you of prescription drugs prescribed and procedures performed.
Starting your own personal medical log will take just a few minutes. You will first want to start with an outline of the things you will need to keep track of. Once you have your medical log outline, you can simply store your log with your other insurance documents and will be able to easily fill-in any needed information. To start your medical log outline, take a sheet of paper and write down all the things you will want to keep track of (see example below). I would suggest keeping your medical log in a large envelope or binder where you can also keep your other health insurance information, bills, and any additional medical written correspondence. A typical medical log may look similar to this:
My Vital Statistics (update regularly and include date with updates)
Blood Type:
Weight:
Blood Pressure (include time of day and how taken):
Cholesterol and Additional Blood Vitals:
Current Prescribed Medications:
Treatments Currently Undergoing:
Doctor Visits
Time/Date/Location/Doctor:
Reason for Visit:
Tests/Screenings/Procedures Performed:
Referrals/Medications Prescribed:
Comments/Diagnosis/Next Visit:
Medical Related Phone Calls and Correspondence:
(In this section keep a written record of all phone calls you have made to any doctors, nurses or any other medical related phone calls. Also, keep copies and/or attach all documentation and correspondence from and to you by any medical professional including Doctors, Nurses, Laboratories, Pharmacists and Insurance Companies. Don’t forget to include the names and dates of all correspondence.)
