Dealing with the bombardment of paperwork that most of us deal with on a daily basis can be very overwhelming. When it comes to Organizing Medical Paperwork, you are having to add on the burden of going to doctor’s visits, taking medication and keeping up with insurance claims, it can feel downright hopeless and impossible to keep yourself from drowning in the sea of paper.
But don’t give up hope just yet, because there are solutions. There are ALWAYS solutions. Remember that. You just have to find the one that works best with the way you think.
The secret to staying on top of managing your medical paperwork is systems, systems, systems. Oh, did I mention systems?
A system is an organized or established procedure that you follow to achieve a certain result. As an example all the steps you complete when receiving, paying and filing a bill. Then it’s a matter of repeating that series of steps consistently until they become a new habit and before you know it, you have developed a new organized behavior.
So where do you start? First understand that your paperwork will fall into two categories; On the Go and At Home.
On The Go System For Medical Records
Digital or hard paper copies, that is the question. What is best for you? Let’s consider.
Digital System For Medical Records
Rather than carrying all of your medical history around in a binder which could be more cumbersome, can be easily lost, and doesn’t provide any security with your personal records, consider going digital.
Jakoter ($69.95) is one example of a digital health history organizer. This simple little key chain offers an easy and convenient way to carry your personal medical information with you — at all times! All you have to do is fill in your medical history on the pre-designed templates. Then when you go to the doctor, they can just plug the USB into their computer and they will be able to easily see all of your medical history. Check out this link for the Jakoter Health Tag.
Binder System For Medical Records
However, you will still get paperwork when you leave the doctor’s office e.g.; prescriptions, medical releases and business cards from the medical professionals.
If you are going to use a digital organizer, then you can simply get a 2 inch binder with tabbed index dividers and sheet protectors to hold loose papers. This should be a temporary storage area until you either put the information into your digital system or file it away in your home files.
If you are not going to use the digital organizer but still want the convenience of all of your information in one place then I recommend getting a pre-designed medical history organizer.
Jakoter also has one of these systems ($44.95). This sturdy 75-page ring-binder system will help you sort and record important information about your family medical history, health conditions, and more. Check out this link for the Jakoter Health Organizer Binder.
If neither a digital or a pre-designed medical organizer works for you, you can always design your own binder. Get a 3 inch binder with tabbed dividers and sheet protectors to hold loose paper.
You can customize the dividers based on the various information you will need like the contact information for the doctors and specialists you see, appointments, insurance papers or whatever other category makes sense for the health issue you’re dealing with. Make sure to bring blank paper in each section to take notes.
At Home Medical Paperwork System
Some of your medical paperwork will need to be stored at home. This paperwork will fall into two categories; Action and Reference.
At home, create a few hanging files with manila folders. That is, letter size file folders that go inside the hanging files that are the same categories as the ones you have in your binder or digital files.
Place inside a filing cabinet.
Medical Information Reference
Here’s an example of some of the medical information you will need to store for reference:
Medical Insurance Information
Create a separate hanging file folder for each type of insurance (medical, dental and vision)
Within each hanging file folder, sub-divide with a manila folder into the different categories of paperwork you would get from each insurer (policies, forms, physician directories, claim forms, benefits booklets).
When updated information is received from your insurance company regarding new benefits and coverages, be sure to discard the outdated booklets.
Create a hanging file folder for settled claims. Keep for 1 year in drawer then move to an inactive, plastic storage box and place somewhere in your home, storage unit or garage that doesn’t take up valuable real estate.
Health Information
Articles on health and medical problems or treatments clipped from mags or from pharmacies.
Personal Medical History
Create a hanging file folder for each family member containing their personal medical data like records, immunizations, physical exams, lab results, pap smears, mammograms, dental records, allergies, etc. for future reference.
Also if anyone is taking medications, you want to make sure you make a list of what those are and keep photocopies that you can hand to the medical professionals when necessary. (This can also be stored on the digital device or pre-designed binder instead.)
Action Files
These are files you are actively working on, and it is best to keep in a separate file box on or near your desk. When you are done, they then get filed in with your references files.
Active Claims and Paperwork
Create a hanging file folded entitled “financial” and include along with the claims paperwork like explanation of benefits, medical bills to be paid and other current monetary issues.
Once settled put it in the settled claims folder in file drawer for 1 year, then move to storage after that.
How Long Should You Keep Paperwork
Unfortunately, there is not a single set of guidelines that applies to every person. It depends on several factors.
It’s best to talk to your doctors, insurance companies and tax preparers to get a better idea of what to keep for your specific situation, however, here are a few general guidelines:
- Insurance policies – for the life of the policy. Whenever your policy renews, you can take out the old policy and replace with the new.
- Medical bills (if tax related) – 6 years
- Medical bills (In case of insurance disputes) – 3 years
- Medical history (including surgeries, immunizations, physical exams, lab results, pap smears, mammograms, dental records, allergies, – Indefinitely
I hope you have found this information helpful and will be able to find a system to implement that works best with the way you think and complements your lifestyle. Set a goal to spend a few extra minutes either after your doctor’s appointment or at least once a week to file and purge your documents. That way your paperwork doesn’t get too out of control.
If you do that, you won’t be as overwhelmed by paperwork and what that means in the end is greater peace of mind. And who doesn’t want that?