How do I use this?
Your patient may invite you to follow their health timeline. It's a patient medical record, and they are giving you access. You'll be able to see updates that the patient and other followers write. You'll be able to update the timeline as well.
Why should I use it?
We believe that patients who are well informed get better care. For example, a patient could receive prescriptions from different doctors who don't know what the other is prescribing, such as aspirin and warfarin. Taking these two together could increase the risk of dangerous bleeding. Followers can keep the timeline updated so the patient avoids these mistakes.
But I don't want to text with my patients...
Texting sends information between two devices, and is not recommended for health related information because it's stored in telecom servers (like Verizon and AT&T). Writing in a patient's health timeline is safe: the data is owned by the patient, and encrypted in transit for security
Is this for every patient?
Health Timeline is designed to work for any patient: infants, the elderly, cancer, dialysis, or pregnancy. For the young and healthy it's useful for tracking health expenses. For the elderly or very sick, it's by avoiding complications, side effects, and hospitalizations to get better faster.
What about liability?
Health Timeline isn't designed to be a legal record. It's like a binder full of medical information that the patient is allowing you access to, except it's made of electrons instead of paper. Anything you'd write in that binder, you can write in their Health Timeline.
What information will I have access to?
You'll see only the entries for the patient you follow, NOT the other patients in the family. They patient will not have access to your timeline; follower relationships are one-way.
What can followers do?
You can write in the timeline and edit your own entries, but you cannot edit entries written by others. You cannot see entries the patient has locked. You cannot share the patient's information with others. The patient and other followers on the team are instantly updated when you write in the timeline or on the Message Board.
What's the Message Board?
Communicate informally with the patient and other followers. Messages are not part of the timeline. So you would write "Blood pressure 125/76" in the timeline, but "Great job cutting back on the salt!" belongs in the Message Board.
What about HIPAA?
HIPAA doesn't apply to information that the patient controls. You don't own or control the data in Health Timeline - even your own entries. The patient can make your entries private or delete them entirely. They can remove you as a follower at their will. As long as you don't do anything stupid, like screenshotting health information and posting it on the internet, you'll be fine.
Your patient may invite you to follow their health timeline. It's a patient medical record, and they are giving you access. You'll be able to see updates that the patient and other followers write. You'll be able to update the timeline as well.
Why should I use it?
We believe that patients who are well informed get better care. For example, a patient could receive prescriptions from different doctors who don't know what the other is prescribing, such as aspirin and warfarin. Taking these two together could increase the risk of dangerous bleeding. Followers can keep the timeline updated so the patient avoids these mistakes.
But I don't want to text with my patients...
Texting sends information between two devices, and is not recommended for health related information because it's stored in telecom servers (like Verizon and AT&T). Writing in a patient's health timeline is safe: the data is owned by the patient, and encrypted in transit for security
Is this for every patient?
Health Timeline is designed to work for any patient: infants, the elderly, cancer, dialysis, or pregnancy. For the young and healthy it's useful for tracking health expenses. For the elderly or very sick, it's by avoiding complications, side effects, and hospitalizations to get better faster.
What about liability?
Health Timeline isn't designed to be a legal record. It's like a binder full of medical information that the patient is allowing you access to, except it's made of electrons instead of paper. Anything you'd write in that binder, you can write in their Health Timeline.
What information will I have access to?
You'll see only the entries for the patient you follow, NOT the other patients in the family. They patient will not have access to your timeline; follower relationships are one-way.
What can followers do?
You can write in the timeline and edit your own entries, but you cannot edit entries written by others. You cannot see entries the patient has locked. You cannot share the patient's information with others. The patient and other followers on the team are instantly updated when you write in the timeline or on the Message Board.
What's the Message Board?
Communicate informally with the patient and other followers. Messages are not part of the timeline. So you would write "Blood pressure 125/76" in the timeline, but "Great job cutting back on the salt!" belongs in the Message Board.
What about HIPAA?
HIPAA doesn't apply to information that the patient controls. You don't own or control the data in Health Timeline - even your own entries. The patient can make your entries private or delete them entirely. They can remove you as a follower at their will. As long as you don't do anything stupid, like screenshotting health information and posting it on the internet, you'll be fine.