How, and why to assemble a personal medical record book for everyone in the family

Generations ago, people tended to stay most or all of their lives in the same city, or at least in the same county. In today’s mobile society, that’s no longer the case. Your kids may be born in one state, but spend their childhood years in another, due to relocating for work or any number of other circumstances.

By the time your kids are in high school, you may be in yet another region of the country, or have even moved overseas. With all of the changes that a move brings, it seldom occurs to us that the personal medical records of each member of the family may be spread out all over the world.

Although we live in an electronic age, our personal medical record forms don’t follow us automatically with each move. Furthermore, acquiring copies of your medical records are now, by law, subject to a tangle of authorization and release forms that must be requested and verified before you can get your hands on your own medical history.

Unfortunately, the current laws make it so difficult and time consuming to gather these records, few of us follow up and compile these important records.

There are many reasons you should make the effort to assemble a personal medical record book, also known as a personal health record. Let’s take a look at just a few examples.
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