Analysis of myphr.com, Research Paper Example

People today have a rapidly growing number of choices in the arena of Public Health Record (PHR)  services. As the Internet has so recently become a widespread resource for all kinds of communication and commerce, so too is it increasingly relied upon to handle the most personal elements of life, from banking to health. In the space of a few years, people trust the Internet to contain their most private types of information, and personal health records maintained online are as common as bank accounts online.

The online PHR service is still relatively new, however, and this translates to its evolving to both meet the needs of existing customers and attract new ones. As with other Internet-based services, it is a trial-and-error process.   Nonetheless, myphr.com appears to have established a strong online presence by virtue of proactively taking into account all the elements an individual will look for in a PHR site, along with a sensible regard for acknowledging safety and privacy concerns. Even today, people are skeptical of entrusting their personal health information to the Internet, and a great asset of mpr.com is how it directly answers these concerns. On the home page, a link to “7 Easy Steps to a PHR” brings the user to those steps, but also to an entire range of additional links that cover virtually all privacy issues. One section deals with myths, and this is extremely valuable for those perhaps operating under misconceptions regarding how their PHRs  can be accessed and/or transmitted. The language is clear and the facts are plainly presented.

On the same page, other links are equally helpful in explaining the actual purpose and process of the PHR. Simply, they relate the basics of why this form of record-keeping is in the best interests of the consumer, in that it permits ease of access for medical professionals and a consistently updated log of vital information. Then, there is a valuable section explaining how PHRs, through increased usage, drastically cut hospital and physicians costs.   In setting these rationales beside encouraging information about how private this information may be kept, myphr.com goes a long way in generating interest and trust.

The entire site, in fact, is excellently designed, to be both attractive and very user-friendly. It does not condescend to the guest or user, yet it walks them through every phase of the process in understandable and clear directions.Different types of forms are accessible to download, and the emphasis here is on choice; myphr.com does not represent any particular healthcare provider or organization, and it stresses that each consumer may create their own PHR to employ as they see fit. While set out under the banner of  the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the size of that network itself renders any “commercial” agenda pointless; essentially, no matter how the customer chooses to go about building a PHR, AHIMA and myphr.com are simply out to make the process easier, and consequently benefit the entire healthcare industry.

Additionally, the site offers detailed information on how PHRs can assist in a variety of life situations, from the military family to the senior citizen caregiver. In the “Tools and Resources” section, links to important sites ranging from the American Cancer Society to AARP are provided. There is also another privacy safeguard, in the link to a Medical Identity Theft checklist, which in turn offers directions to further resources. Most importantly, given the rapid way in which changes in healthcare policies occur, the site is updated constantly, with news feeds reporting the latest healthcare developments. However a person decides to construct a PHR, myphr.com is a truly valuable starting point, enabling education on every facet of the PHR process and making it particularly easy for the individual to create one.