Your
Personal Health Information
Why it's important…and how to access, manage, and protect it
A
community-based public education campaign
Objectives
To increase public awareness and
understanding of the issues surrounding personal health information
and health records.
To provide individuals with the
information they need to better manage their personal health
information and to encourage them to maintain a personal health
record (PHR) in order to help improve the quality of care they
receive.
To create greater public awareness
of the HIM profession and the important role HIM professionals play
in effective management of personal health information needed to
deliver quality healthcare to the public.
Background
Your personal health information is
a valuable resource to you, your family, and the doctors, nurses,
and other healthcare professionals who provide your treatment and
care. But did you know that, in most cases, a complete record of all
of your personal health information cannot be found in any single
location or consistent format? The various elements of any one
person's health information are likely scattered across several
healthcare providers, possibly in different cities, states, or even
countries and are kept in various combinations of paper-based and
electronic record-keeping formats.
Each one of your healthcare
providers (family practitioner, allergist, OB-GYN, etc.) compiles a
separate medical record on you. These multiple medical records can
lead to an incomplete story about your health.
Keeping your own personal health
record allows you to provide doctors with valuable information that
can help improve the quality of care you receive. A PHR can help
reduce or eliminate duplicate tests and allow you to receive faster,
safer treatment and care in an emergency. And the PHR empowers you,
the patient. The information you gather gives you knowledge that
assists your preparation for appointments. Overall, it gives you
more intimate knowledge of your health information and allows you to
play an active role in preventive care and care management. This
way, you are more involved in your own care.
In short, a PHR helps you play a more active role in
your healthcare.
Description
AHIMA Consumer Education Campaign is
a public service initiative that draws upon the unique expertise of
AHIMA and its 50,000 members. This campaign will allow Health
Information Management (HIM) professionals to share their knowledge
of health information and medical records directly with the
public-at the community level-in order to help them better
understand how to access, manage, and protect their personal health
information.
As part of the campaign, AHIMA will
provide training and materials to members in order to create a
uniform national campaign that can be delivered at the local level
and extend the Association's mission to providing effective
management of personal health information needed to deliver quality
healthcare to the public.
The Community
Presentation
The American
Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) provides free
community-based public education seminars and a public education
web site, www.myphr.com
as part of our mission to provide effective management of personal
health information needed to deliver quality healthcare to the public.
The community-based
presentation is a free one-hour program (program can be shortened
or lengthened to suit available time slot) delivered to your local
group or organization that provides valuable information to help
you better manage your personal health information. Topics include
how to access your medical records, your privacy rights, and starting
a personal health record (PHR). This multimedia presentation is
delivered by a local credentialed Health Information Management
(HIM) professional. Audience members are given an opportunity to
ask questions along the way and free informational packets are provided
to each participant.
AHIMA does not
make, sell, or endorse any PHR products. The goal of this campaign
is to provide individuals with the information they need to better
manage their personal health information and to encourage them to
maintain a personal health record in order to help improve the quality
of care they receive.
The Web Site
As part of this
public education campaign, AHIMA has also created a free public
web site, www.myphr.com,
where you can find a wide range of helpful information and resources
including:
-
Information
regarding your health information rights
-
Privacy
rights and common privacy myths
-
How
to access your records
-
Information
for caregivers
-
Step-by-step
guide for creating a PHR
-
A guided
tour to help you learn more about how your health information
is collected, where it goes, and how it's used.
-
An on-line
form to request a local health information management professional
to come out and deliver a free public education seminar to your
group or organization.
Resources
for Texas Presenters
The PowerPoint™ presentations developed by AHIMA have been
revised to incorporate specific information from Texas
law/regulation.
MyPHR Consumer Presentation
Presentation Content with Notes
Other resources
include:
State Coordinators
The following individuals have volunteered to assist with training
programs. Please contact any of them if you would like to have a
training program in your area:
Norma Mercado
Austin
Email:
nmercado@austincc.edu
Barbara Odom-Wesley
Arlington
Email:
bodom-wesley@dal.devry.edu
Karan
Blackburn
Houston
Email:
Ksblackburn@tch.tmc.edu
Mary Brandt
Houston
Email:
mbrandt@brandt-associates.com
Tracey J. Brass
Houston
Email:
Traen73@aol.com
Earlene Brooks
Houston
Email:
Ebrooks02@yahoo.com
LaPacquah Brown
Houston
Email:
Akapac90@yahoo.com
Carolyn Connolly
Houston
Email:
Cconlnolly2@houston.rr.com
Valerie Cooper
Houston
Email:
vcooperv@mdanderson.org
Tshira Cormier
Houston
Email:
tshiracormier@hotmail.com
Tara DeAndrea
Houston
Email:
tarajean1215@houston.rr.com
Katrena Heckford
208 E. 5th St.
Deer Park,
TX 77536
Sheri Horrocks
Houston
Sheri.horrocks@memorialhermann.org
Nonie Lambert
Houston
Email:
nlambert@mdanderson.org
RoseAnne Howland
Houston
Email:
rhowland@mfrpc.com
Vivian Valdes
Houston
Email:
vvaldes@baysidehospital.org
Thessa West
Houston
Email:
Twest@baysidehospital.org
Cynthia Young
Houston
Email:
Cynthia_Young04@yahoo.com
Hugo Garcia
McAllen
Email:
hugo.garcia@hcahealthcare.com
Sofia Kusbel
San
Antonio
Email:
Sofia.Kusbel@med.va.gov
Sue Biedermann
San
Marcos
Email:
sb02@txstate.edu
If you have
questions regarding the presentation materials or suggestions for
improvement, please contact:
Carol F. Smith, MBA, RHIA
TxHIMA Board of Directors
w: 713-792-8640
csmith@mdanderson.org
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