ScanMed QR- A Personal Health Record

As an asthma patient or parent do you worry about being in a healthcare emergency and not being able to let a professional know that you have asthma or other medical conditions that are essential for your treatment? Bar code technology can provide you a personal health record that may just be the answer to your worry. This technology allows someone that is trying to assist you to know any information about your health that you want them to know.

Additionally, it is a way for you to allow a provider you are seeing know information about your health in an era where lots of doctors have electronic health records that do not talk to one another.

Imagine if you need to go to an urgent care center for a cough that will not go away and cannot get in to see your regular doctor. You may have just seen your regular doctor who ordered a chest x-ray as part of your care. While you can tell the health care provider the chest x-ray was normal, the provider would likely prefer to see it for them self. That way the will not have to repeat it or if they feel the need to order it again they can review your previous. Either way, if the two healthcare professionals do not have some relationship to share the images, this can be really difficult. A personal health record solves that problem as you will just carry the information with you or log into a website and share the information with your doctor.

In less than 2 minutes I was able to create a profile online with a company named ScanMed QR and then view the information on my iPhone using scanning technology. Imagine how useful this might be to an emergency responder or a passerby attempting to provide you help or if you need to go to an emergency room while away from home.

In under a minute, a person can discover essential medical information that will be used to provide you the best care in a short time period. There are a number of different companies that offer their own personal health records.

What Does ScanMed QR Do?

Scanmed QR develops medical alert technology that allows you, as a patient, the ability to create your own Emergency or Personal Health Record. By using commonly available scanning technology to deliver the information, providers or anyone providing emergency assistance will have easy access to information when you need it most. You can record important information such as:

Medical conditions
Primary care physician
Allergies
Medications
Contact information

Additionally, ScanMed allows you to upload documents that might be important for your care.

Examples might include:

PFTs
Cat Scan or other radiology reports
Lab reports
Notes from other medical providers

Importantly, only the information you choose to share will be available to someone accessing your card or bracelet. However, you will want to share information that an emergency responder or good samaritan will need if you develop a healthcare emergency.

ScanMed QR can be read by any smartphone with a QR scanner app as well as barcode and 2-D scanners already used by EMTs and hospitals.

Is My Information Safe?

According to ScanMed, your information is safer than the credit cards in your wallet. Someone needs to hold the scanner within a few inches of the bar code to get your information. As a result, if you utilize the key chain barcodes, losing your keys or purse could lead to someone you did not intend getting your health information.

However, a better option would be to order a Quick ER band. With this option ,you are always wearing your medical information. Not only will this decrease the risk of accidental disclosure, but you will always have the information. Think of the number of times you may be without your keys that a medical emergency could occur.

Why Was ScanMed QR Created?

Eric Richardson, President and cofounder, developed the technology when a family member suffered a heart attack and first responders lacked important information to appropriately provide care.

Pros and Cons of ScanMed Qr

Pros

Easy to activate, set up and update once arrived at the activation page.
Option for a wearable armband that is with you all the time when your keys and purse are not.
Does not need to be unlocked like an ICE (In Case Of Emergency) contact entry on a locked cell phone.
Easy access to information means quicker and more educated actions by people providing you care.
Any smart phone with a QR scanner app can retrieve the medical information.
iPhone app to quickly update your profile when medications or conditions change.
You control all of the information provided to the healthcare provider.
Make sure your pulmonologist or allergist and primary provider have the same information.

Cons

Getting to the activation page was a little difficult and would be difficult for elderly patients to do on their own.
While more of a risk than a con, someone scanning your band or card could inappropriately share your health information on Facebook or Twitter. While it would be unethical for them to do so (and all healthcare professional would suffer significant professional consequences for doing so), you will need to balance for your self this risk versus a healthcare provider having needed information to care for you.

Overall I believe the ScanMed Qr technology to be a significant improvement in what patients have available today in personal health records. While the promise of electronic medical records has not yet lead to all of your doctor's having all of your medical information. ScanMed QR allows you to easily provide anyone taking care of you with important health information that will make your care safer and more efficient. You decide what information you want to be provided and readily accessible so you are in total control.