The preparation phase of filing for health insurance is an excellent time to implement a personal health record (PHR) because you can proverbially kill two birds with one stone, i.e. begin the creation of your own all important personal medical record and decrease the likelihood of being denied medical insurance coverage or experiencing gaps in your coverage known as pre-existing exclusions if your application is approved because of incorrect information entered on your application. The online health insurance application process from acquisition of health insurance quotes to the final application approval is a streamlined one which is designed to enable you to fine the best insurance for you in the least amount of time, but if you do not have the proper information pertaining to your health while going through the process, the efficiency that is intended may be minimized or negated.
The creation of a personal health record as you prepare to file for health insurance online probably can not only help you more efficiently and accurately go through the application process and find health insurance that is best for you, but can also be of immense value to you in the future in other settings such as applying for a job, applying for various licenses that require health information, obtaining an airman medical certificate if you are a pilot, and preparing for visits to doctors or other health care providers, only to mention a few. Because limited functionality of a USB flash drive based personal medical record programs and the security, privacy and access issues attendant to Internet-based personal health record systems, I would favor having a computer-based PHR.
In applying for health insurance as is the case in virtually any application procedure, going through the application process without having documents to refer to can be very frustrating and might result in incorrect information being submitted causing your application to be denied, and in the worst case scenario, a conviction for health insurance fraud.
In deciding whether not to grant you medical insurance, insurance companies want to know a number of things about your past and current health such as past illnesses, current illnesses, dates of onset of symptoms pertaining to diagnosed and non-diagnosed medical conditions, surgeries, past and present medications, allergies, immunizations and even some details about the health of family members inasmuch as some conditions have hereditary links. Not all insurance companies use the same application form, but to get a good idea of additional information that you need to focus on entering into your personal health record in preparation for the application process you can download a standard insurance application for your state from a site on the Internet. You may be able to obtain some of the relevant information from paper records you already have such as copies of superbills from doctor visits, a health diary, prescription receipts, prescription bottle labels or notes you have taken during actual doctor visits. As you gather this information prior to applying for health insurance online is a good idea to organize it for quick and easy reference during the health insurance online application process by entering it into the appropriate compartments of your PHR.
It is unlikely that you will have all the information you need at your fingertips, thus it might be necessary to obtain some of that information from your health care provider(s). While it would not be practical or reasonable to expect your healthcare provider to review your office practice medical record and answer all your questions during a sick visit or follow up visit, state laws give you access to review your medical records upon request during the business hours of medical practice. Because this might be a unique experience for your healthcare provider and staff and could engender some concerns regarding possible litigious intent on your part, it might be a good idea to be forthright early on in expressing exactly what your purpose is for acquiring the information and why you think having a personal health record would be of benefit to you and possibly the health care provider as well. As you review your office records is a good idea to take notes of what you can understand and perhaps make copies of important x-ray and laboratory reports which can later be incorporated in your PHR if you have a scanner. If your medical history is rather complicated and/or your office practice record is not legible or difficult to understand it might be best to speak with your doctor to see if a special appointment can be made to review and discuss the salient features of the record and/or if a summary with dates and copies of the important supporting documents such as laboratory reports and x-rays can be provided. If your doctor has a very busy schedule and would charge you for regular doctor visit to provide this information you might request assistance from a qualified member of the staff instead of the doctor per se, if appropriate.
It is not necessary that your entire personal health record be finished prior to applying for health insurance online, but after you have entered as much information pertinent to the medical insurance application process as you have been able to obtain, you can then do any needed research to answer other questions that might be broached on the health insurance application, such as the reasons for taking certain medications, or symptoms experienced relating to certain illnesses or symptoms for which a diagnosis has not yet been made. This information can be obtained by accessing the medical reference database or library of your personal health record application if it has one. That resource will provide you with information about various diagnoses, symptoms and medications and is an excellent tool in helping you prepare for the health insurance application process.
