Paper Clutter - How to Organize Medical Records

[@CatifyCatness]

I so badly needed this video and the advice it provides. You’re a life-saver, thank you!

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

You're so welcome!

[@kjpiper8398]

Thanks so much! Yours is best turorial yet, that I have found for medical filing. After I get the paper filing system organized of my medical I will then press forward learning the online system. Wish me luck 😃

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

Good luck! I like to turn on a movie or audio book while filling, makes it more interesting 😂

[@progypsy2343]

Im working on this with my Aunt, very helpful the medical portals are such a paper saver!

[@kevinanddeb8829]

Unfortunately they don't keep records forever. My grandson has a disability still very much in a research phase. They love having him participate in studies because we have all his records since birth. I asked the research psychologist how long I should keep that stuff. Her answer was "forever ". You never know when it's going to be helpful.

[@JG-sz9li]

I'm finding them to be the biggest waste of my time EVER. Maybe it's just me, but I don't visit 1 or 2 facilities/doctors for healthcare. I've been ill the past month & have been to 2 urgent cares, 2 hospitals, & 2 different doctors. And each one has a different portal with a different site/app and different login info. They require a long multi step process to even get your records in your account, including verification codes & links, submitting several forms with all the disclosures, privacy info, etc etc. Huge hospitals that probably invested a ton of money in their app seem to be user friendly & functioning as expected. But for 1 hospital, I don't think there is a form that allows you to access the records in their portals for longer than a year or 2. They will be removed automatically so they tell you that you need to save copies for long term access. The other hospital has my recent records in the portal, & it also automatically added my records from decades ago. The other facilities/doctors that I assume paid less for their portal and/or the staff to test & run it properly have been a nightmare. They require a lot of time, patience, phone calls, emails, and repeated attempts to successfully access your records. Almost seems like nobody really took any time to evaluate or test them before implementation. I've registered for my PCP's portal SEVERAL times, yet after every visit, I get an invitation to join their portal. That has been going on 2+ years. Have yet to find any useful tools, records, or info whatsoever in their portal. This week I finally was able to view some of my records (skeptical whether it actually has ALL of my records) in their portal. Same with urgent care - registered multiple times, thought I went thru every menu item in the portal & submitted all my info, yet still can't see any of my records there. Frankly, it is maddening enough to make a person insane. And when you know you're sick and every doctor seems so rushed that they couldn't possibly have a full understanding of your health history & symptoms, much less taken the time to review/compare all your test results from 10 visits to 5 different facilities, you're screwed if the info isn't all in 1 place or can't be accessed at all. In early stages of many diseases/conditions, the symptoms you experience aren't definitive & severe enough to convince any doctor to give you further testing without having exactly the right evidence needed to justify it. You would think that they are the ones paying for the test! And you have exactly 5, MAYBE 10 minutes to present it to them...meanwhile the fact that they're rushed & not hearing all or most of what you're saying is quite evident. Good luck with that! Come back when it's Stage 4 or you're on the brink of death. Sure seems people could get earlier diagnoses if we could easily access our records in 1 place.

[@cherylcreates1306]

As a caregiver for a disabled veteran, this video was very helpful. I was wondering if you had a system for organizing military records, as we have many of those as well. Thanks for a great video on an important topic!

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

Oh, interesting topic. I have only had to organizing military items for sentimental reasons, but I know medical care for veterans gets complicated, you have to keep track of everything! Would probably scan and tag all paperwork.

[@BobbiGail]

Great info! Thanks!

[@resilientfiberart5832]

Katherine- video was excellent! If you take a photo into Evernote, can you later file it into DropBox? Also, do you have recommendations on how to keep empty Pill bottle labels private. It’s difficult to soak scrape off some of them. TIA!❤

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

I use a heavy Sharpie to mark out personal info on pill bottles. There may be an easier way, but you can "print to pdf" an Evernote note (from the desktop version), then save that pdf to Dropbox 🤔

[@sandrawhitfield7102]

Thanks so much. I just got finished paying some of my mother's bills. Then I was wondering how to file them. Under the company name? Under her insurance plan? Until I figure out how to set up a digital system like you explained, I am just going to make a medical bills paid folder for the year.

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

Right, you can file medical billing by year and then keep a separate file for doctor contact information and medical history.

[@jennyp4934]

This was amazing. I'm in my 60s and have lived with a syndrome that as impacted most of my body, so my paperwork is enormous. I had all my documents in a paper folder, but it is just not enough. I want to keep a lot of the paperwork, but also store them online. There will come a day that I will need a carer and I want that person to have easy access to what-ever they need. I started sorting this into a folder about 2 months ago, but I've found it quite confusing and didn't know where to go. You've helped me tremendously and now I have a direction. Thank you.

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

Wonderful! I'm glad this video gave you the direction you need!

[@TarynWestover]

I don't trust apps for information finding. Apps crash, or are not kept up-to-date.

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

There are pros and cons for sure...

[@JG-sz9li]

Wondering if you find yourself using a paid version of evernote. I thought they used to only have the searchable note feature (OCR I think it's called?) in the paid version, but I could be wrong. Lately I've gotten the impression that it's a feature in all their versions, free & paid. Any info on this?

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

I have a paid version, I believe on annual billing.

[@angelweengz]

What if you have multiple medical insurance companies over multiple years? Do you just save a pdf from the access they send you at the time?

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

You could upload a pdf to your cloud storage or save to a hard drive. Label it with the date of service and a description like "lab results" or "diagnosis of ...". I have rarely needed to find old medical records for my clients, but it has happened in the case of a lawsuit. Typically medical billing is more significant in the last 1 to 3 years. But if you want the peace of mind of having everything, then have your own copies in addition to the online portals.

[@808Blessed1]

Hi Katherine!! You thought of everything this was also I was looking for. I went to the doctor they asked me all kinds of questions that I wasn’t sure of. Like what doctors that I have seen or medications that I have taken. I was like not sure couldn’t remember. Same goes for my Husband and children. How do I get started is it too late to organize a Medical Binder?

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

You could carry a binder to appointments. I like to keep stuff like this in my phone because I always have my phone with me! I use an app called Evernote, but you could use any note taking app in your phone. But a binder could work too. I carry a clear folder with pet records in it when I go to the vet ... same concept.

[@808Blessed1]

Thank You Katherine.👍

[@808Blessed1]

I know technology is great and easy. But for me I’m old fashion with the paper thing not a techy person. In the past I would keep things on my phone then a glitch thing happened and wiped out all the information on my phone. But Thank You for your help and suggestions.👍👍

[@JG-sz9li]

@@808Blessed1 trust me, even for someone with intermediate to advanced technological skill, this stuff can easily make them feel like they've never used a computer or smartphone in their life!

[@debbieneyman3331]

What do you recycle?

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

Generic papers without any personal information... otherwise shred

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

Do you struggle with paper clutter?

[@prophetesskrishacheatem-cl8666]

Three years ago..

[@casandrasantos6693]

This was very helpful thank you. I was wondering in regard to medical history do we need to keep are after visit summaries? I’m no longer getting paper copies but do have older ones and I’m not sure if I need to keep or shred.

[@KatherineLawrenceCPO]

I would keep or scan papers that document a major medical diagnosis or incident. If they are just eobs, duplicates, or check ups that do not indicate any real information, I would just toss or shred them.

[@casandrasantos6693]

Katherine Lawrence thank you for the information, I appreciate it 😊

[@karysquinceaneraboutique]

to many blablabla but girl we need the practice action . thanks