There are several good reasons to keep your healthcare records online. First, your records are accessible 24-7, from anywhere in the world! If you are ill during a vacation and can't remember what medications you've been allergic to in the past… if you want to consult a specialist and would like him/her to see YOUR notes regarding your health… if you happen to be across town and your doctor asks you a question regarding past medications, family health history, or previous surgeries, you can simply go online in the office and pull the answers up right then and there. And, if your physician's office has wireless internet, you can even take your laptop and retrieve and enter information during your visit while it is fresh in your mind. Second, with your "read only" password, you can share your health history and the health history of your loved ones with anyone in the world, anytime, at your discretion, without jeopardizing the integrity of the records. For more information on the "read only" feature, see FAQ #2.

The "read only" password allows others to access your records and get the information they need without being able to alter any of the information you've secured. For example, in the case of emergency care, you can grant permission to your records and allow qualified medical staff to access your records and view the information without changing or deleting anything of importance. Furthermore, in the case of shared parenting and/or caregiving, family members can give each other their "read only" password and allow each other to view the records of a child, aging parent etc… And, in routine medical situations, you might choose to share your notes and observations regarding your health with your physicians; it may give you comfort doing so with the "read only" password so that there is no risk of loss of records. Keep in mind, you choose with whom you want to share the "read only" password … and it can be changed if privacy ever seems threatened.

As many as you like! That's the great thing about online medical record keeping. You have unlimited space and infinite possibilities! In other words, in one HealtheTracks account, you can create personalized files for EVERYONE in your family… children, parents, and grandparents too! Within each individual's set of files, you can record EVERYTHING or just the bits of information that you find interesting. It's up to you. We've even had users who have created files for their pets. HealtheTracks was designed to help you and your family … to make you the most knowledgeable person about your own healthcare and that of your loved ones!

Everyone in the family - you, your spouse, your kids, and even relatives who live away but may need assistance with their care. For example, use HealtheTracks to create files for aging parents who may be living somewhere else. Keep track of physicians' comments, medications, and medical visits and share that information with your family members. What better way for a family to keep in touch regarding an aging parent's care.

That's O.K.! Input what you know and start TODAY! Every bit of information that you can record about your own health and the health of your loved ones will give you knowledge and increased awareness. By starting today, you will be initiating the first steps to taking ownership of your healthcare, and you will begin to make a difference in your own healthcare and the healthcare of your loved ones.

No. These are YOUR records, YOUR observations, YOUR notes. They should coincide with and perhaps complement your official medical charts in your physician's office, but you don't have to have a medical degree to know your own health. Use the library and internet when you feel like you need clarification, but don't let fancy medical terminology intimidate you. HealtheTracks is about YOU. Put your own notes in your own words so that you can understand them. HealtheTracks is designed to support you and your family.

For those with security questions, please know that all information you input into HealtheTracks is yours and yours alone! The information is encrypted when you hit save, update, and/or submit. It is then stored on our secure servers and is encrypted, again, every time you access it.

The HealtheTracks servers are located at a Level 3 datacenter. The datacenter follows multi-layer security control procedures, uses biometric palm readers, and has 24 x 7 closed-circuit video and alarm monitoring. Remote access to the servers is also protected. HealtheTracks is truly easy, secure, and always at your fingertips.

HealtheTracks was born after 7 years of research for the book, HealthTracks… A Child's Health History. HealtheTracks has received, and continues to garner, rave reviews from family physicians, pediatricians and other specialists who believe in the importance of an informed patient. After all, HealtheTracks provides patients with a better informed picture of their complete healthcare, in turn providing physicians with more information on which to base healthcare decisions. Click here to read what some physicians have had to say about HealthTracks.

No, and it shouldn't. Think of your relationships with your physicians as partnerships. Physicians' records are very important but they don't always tell the whole story. They may not note a healthcare question or concern that is important to you. HealtheTracks is designed to help YOU keep track of YOUR healthcare issues and experiences. After all, no one cares more about YOUR health than YOU. Tracking your own healthcare experiences really marries the best of both worlds. YOUR records, YOUR observations, YOUR notes can be viewed in a doctor's office right along side your professional medical chart. It's a healthcare partnership…and you should be just as informed about your health as your physician is.

Absolutely! Click here to read just some of the feedback we've received. HealtheTracks is an empowering tool encouraging you to know as much about the state of your health and your family's health as your physicians do.

Kids love it, too! Ours remind us to grab their HealthTracks books and print out their HealtheTracks records every time they lose a tooth or have an appointment with a doctor. What better gift to your loved ones than an accurate account of their health history and their family health history! For more information on Family Health History, see FAQ #11.

Heredity involves more than having your mother's eyes or your father's nose. It plays a crucial role in your health. Knowing a family's medical history can help detect a possible predisposition for disease and identify health issues that pass from generation to generation.

In fact, in 2004, U.S. Surgeon General Carmona launched a national public health campaign called The Family History Initiative. The goal is to encourage all American families to learn more about their family health history. As part of the initiative, Surgeon General Carmona declared Thanksgiving to be the annual National Family Health History Day, inviting family members to discuss, write down and record everything they know about their family's medical history … all in the interest of ensuring a longer future together!

A computer and an internet connection. Certainly, high speed internet will make the program run more quickly and smoothly…but we do have subscribers on dial-up who are able to use the system with ease.