Another reason HealthVault rocks: safer summers!

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My daughter is back from college and my son is in the throes of final exams --- just trying to hold on for that last push before a few months of freedom. The weather has turned awesome, I’m riding the scooter to work and Lara’s sundresses are out of the closet --- woo hoo for summer!

This time of year also means trying to assemble the jigsaw that is our family calendar. This year we’re headed out to Maine and the coast of Georgia where we were married, plus a quick side trip down to Orlando to visit Disney and Harry Potter. And that’s just the whole-family part of the agenda; the kids are scattering from here to who knows where with their friends as well.

It all makes for another reason that HealthVault shines for us --- taking a few minutes to review your records makes a ton of sense and can really pay off.

First, just fill out quick emergency profiles for your family --- starting at https://healthvault.com/eprofile will get you rolling in just a couple of minutes. From there, be sure to print out emergency cards for your wallet, glove compartment, purse, backpack and lunchbox. For a bit of extra safety, you can pick up easy self-laminating pouches at any office supply store --- which makes the cards sturdier and water-resistant as well.

Next, make sure you have access to that information on your mobile phone as well, in case you’re somewhere without that emergency card. A few options for this include:

The other trick we use is to keep scanned versions of key documents in HealthVault --- this ends up being incredibly useful for lots of items that are otherwise scattered around. I’ve needed them more times than I care to remember:

  • Drivers licenses
  • Passports
  • Social security cards
  • Healthcare insurance cards
  • Home and auto insurance cards
  • Vision and medication prescription documents

If you don’t have a scanner, just taking a quick snap with your camera phone often does the trick --- but remember to delete them off of the phone after uploading so they don’t just lie around for anyone to steal!

You won’t find a shellfish allergy on my emergency card --- so if you happen to see me elbow-deep in boiled lobster on the dock of Lobsterman’s Wharf, just stop by and say hello. Can’t wait!