When so many areas of health care seem to be out of control— including rising costs, insurance premiums, and wait times at the doctor’s office—it’s helpful to find areas of your health and health care you can grab hold of and improve. Here are several such areas.

Your Records
Having one place to turn for your and your family’s essential medical records can save you time in an emergency and money if you can keep from repeating screening tests or vaccinations because you have a complete record of who had what and when.

If you haven’t done so already, create a personal health record (PHR) for each family member using any of these free services:

• MyPHR (www.myphr.com) lets you download health record forms you can print and fill out.
• HealthVault (www.healthvault.com) is a comprehensive service that partners with hospitals, medical labs, pharmacies, and some doctors to allow direct electronic transfer of your records to your PHR.
• Google Health (www.google.com/health) also works with hospitals, pharmacies, and doctors to facilitate access to your health records by you, your doctors, or emergency personnel.
• Consumer Empowerment National Demonstration (www.cendphr.com) PHR is cosponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians. The company’s goal is to provide secure, transportable personal health records controlled by patients.

Your Conditions
If you have a chronic condition such as allergies, arthritis, diabetes, or high blood pressure, 90 percent of the management of the disease— and your well-being—is up to you.

To keep a condition under control, be sure to stay in close touch with your health care team. Let your doctor know if your essential benchmarks— blood sugar if you have diabetes, blood pressure if you have hypertension—are not where they should be and what to do about it.

Your Involvement
To share in decision making, let your health care provider know you want to make informed decisions regarding all aspects of your care, and work in partnership when treatment options are being weighed.

As a result, you’ll be more in control of your care and will reap the benefits of understanding your options and choosing those consistent with your expectations, budget, and core values.

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