Theis and Associates LLC
Innovation: My Crisis Records- personal health record product and service
A study recently done by the California Healthcare Foundation indicates that the percentage of Americans who utilize a personal health record has doubled over the last two years.
Gerald Theis, chief executive officer and founder of Greendale-based Theis and Associates LLC, expects that number to continue to increase over the next few years, as consumers start taking more responsibility for their health care costs.
To meet those demands, Theis has rolled out the My Crisis Records product and service. My Crisis Records is a personal health record that is available for consumers online or in a USB type format.
“I have a long professional history on the social work side of health care,” Theis said. “I’ve seen first hand how people with special needs; the frail, the elderly, the mentally or physically disabled, can become the most vulnerable people during a medical emergency, and I wanted to help them.”
The major problem is that patient medical records are not readily available to health care providers and first responders, especially if the patient is unconscious or has a mental disability. Taking responsibility for your own medical records is the safest most efficient way to get the care you need at the lowest cost.”
According to Theis, using an up-to-date personal health record allows medical staff to see what allergies and conditions a patient has in order to provide the best possible care for that patient in a short amount of time. The records can also indicate what tests were previously done to indicate the patient’s condition. So, those tests, depending on the situation, may not need to be repeated, he said.
My Crisis Records can be filled out for free in an online format by visiting www.mycrisisrecords.com.
Consumers can purchase the My Crisis Capsule which comes in the form of a password protected USB device that can be carried by the patient, typically on their wrist or on a necklace, at all times.
“My goal was to give the consumer total control over their health records,” Theis said. “The online form can be filled out for free, or they can purchase the USB capsule that will contain their records, plus additional white paper resources about transitioning to a healthy lifestyle.”
When users register for My Crisis Records, they receive a card that can be printed and laminated that contains their basic information including photo identification, emergency contact, physicians, phone numbers and any serious pre-existing conditions, Theis said.
“The card also contains a My Crisis Record ID number that acts as both a password for the USB drive, and a reference number for the first responders or ambulance drivers,” he said.
If a My Crisis Record user experiences a medical emergency, first responders on the scene can gain immediate access to the patients’ medical records by calling the My Crisis Records office.
“We can pull up the patient’s record, and provide them with the quick hit facts of what the patient is allergic to and what pre-existing conditions they have that might be helpful in speedy treatment,” Theis said. “It’s completely secure, and the beauty of it is we can then transmit, either electronically or via fax, the patient’s full medical record to the medical facility the first responder is transporting the patient to. That way it is there waiting when the patient arrives.”
My Crisis Records will also call, text or email the person’s emergency contact person with the time and date of the emergency, and what medical facility the user is being transported to, he said.
“This service can be useful for every individual, but where I see it being particularly helpful is with patients with special needs. With My Crisis Records, the patient, no matter what the situation, is completely empowered by the information they’ve supplied proactively,” Theis said.
The My Crisis Capsule in USB form is available for $19.99 and consumers pay in advance per transmittal.
“It’s not a use it or lose it situation either,” Theis said. “Users can bank $25 per transmittal, and do it on a pay as you need it basis. High risk patients can pay $99 for a year of unlimited transmittals.”
Theis has plans to make a My Crisis Records application for the iPhone and other smart phone applications. It is available nationally, to individual consumers now, but Theis is also in discussion with major insurance companies to consider offering the My Crisis Record option to clients and employer companies, he said. The company has received inquiries from China and India as well.
“As health care continues to get more complicated and new reform laws begin to be enacted, people are going to have to and want to take more responsibility for their own medical history,” Theis said. “This way, they don’t have to wait for a universal system to be established via electronic medical records.”
