{"id":19435,"date":"2021-11-29T12:02:36","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T17:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19435"},"modified":"2026-02-05T07:00:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T12:00:40","slug":"how-to-organize-medical-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/how-to-organize-medical-records\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Organizing Your Medical Records"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you can pull up an important medical record in the blink of an eye \u2014 give yourself a pat on the back. Having your records in order <\/span>can help your doctors make quicker diagnoses, and can save you time and money. If you run into an emergency, having the right files on hand can be life-saving.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, right now, this is all much easier said than done.<\/p>\n

Many primary care providers use patient portals, where they store records in a single spot for easy access. But if you see a specialist or get blood tests done at an independent lab, your records might not be immediately shared with your PCP \u2014 without your input, at least. Furthermore, life changes, like moving or changing doctors, can also put the state of your records in flux.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While there’s been a push<\/a> by the government and medical community to create an umbrella, centralized medical records system in the last few decades, efforts have failed. Such a system would pull in all info from doctor’s offices across the country for easy access by both patients and providers. But currently, d<\/span>ata is spread out across a labyrinth of providers, medical systems and private labs. Often, it is entrenched in clunky, outdated systems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThere are technical and business challenges with a centralized system,” says Dr. Steven Waldren, Chief Medical Informatics Officer at the American Academy of Family Physicians. “I do think it is inevitable for a good chunk of patients, but not anytime soon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>In the absence of a centralized system, for now it\u2019s up to patients to create their own personal record keeping system. Here\u2019s how to create one that works for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Decide what data you need.<\/h3>\n

Make a list of all the information you need to gather. Experts suggest patients gather personal medical records dating back as far as you can find. Below<\/span>\u00a0are some examples of the types of documents you may want to include.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n