There was a time when the reality for many Americans meant having a family physician who knew your entire health history and served as your main contact with the health profession for many years, if not your entire life. Today, with changing insurance plans, increased specialization, and an aging population, most people see many medical professionals – from primary care physicians to surgeons to nurse practitioners and assistants – over the course of their lives. This can mean the best care and the best chance at a long and healthy life, but it can also mean that your health information is distributed and it can get mixed up or lost in the shuffle of records.

As we heard during the HIMSS 14 opening keynote address, the new focus is to empower patients and it’s time for you to take control of your personal health data.

Why a PHR?

Your Personal Health Record (PHR) becomes your personal, combined medical history that is under your control. Meaningful Use Stage 2 in 2014, and additional future requirements, require your doctor, hospital or clinic to provide electronic access to your records. The data comes to you from their internal electronic health record (EHR), usually through a portal, and it is up to you to find a way to store your own data upon receipt.

Security is Paramount

Assembling your own PHR gives you great power, but as you might expect, it also comes with great responsibility. You may choose to keep your PHR under lock and key at home in a printed file or electronically on your PC, but it will do you little good when you are traveling and find yourself in an emergency situation without your medical history, lab reports or list of allergies and prescription medications.

The best place to store your PHR is on your personal mobile device. Unfortunately, smartphones and tablets are highly susceptible to hacking and you would never carry sensitive electronic records, containing identity information, without the strongest security.

So how can you stay safe without putting your identity at risk?

An Easy, Convenient Solution

RecordVault is an easy, convenient and affordable solution to keep your personal health data safe while having it immediately accessible for you to share with your care providers. The RecordVault app provides mobile file security on your smartphone or tablet that you carry with you wherever you go. The one-time download, with no monthly fees, protects all of your devices for life! It incorporates a unique software security key and uses military-grade encryption to lock your health data until you need it.

Storing your own health data can be truly empowering, and with RecordVault, you now have a landing place for your health records with the strongest security possible.