Thanksgiving Day is 'Tenth Family Health History Day'

This is an idea that should be adopted by every family. Many families do not wish family history to be passed to their children and refuse to talk about it with others. This is not a good thing for their children and grandchildren. However, this secrecy is often difficult to overcome. If it hadn't been for my father, there would probably be many things about my mother's side of the family that I would not know. Even one of mother's sisters was kind enough to affirm what I was told and added a few additional facts.

The following is part of one page on this site to complete the information. Because I will not complete the information or start this, I am not allowed access to additional pages. I will continue to maintain my record book and not use their site. That is my personal preference.

I don't mind how you keep track of your family history records. The important thing is that you do it for your sake and the assistance you will provide for your children. Many people are too stubborn and leave no information for their offspring or for dedicated caregivers. They don't appreciate the fact that people might be spared needless worry and might have a clue that could save a doctor precious time. In addition, this might give the doctor relevant information that could save your life if acted upon timely.

Having covered this information, I am left with one problem. If you chose not to correct the information that your doctor has on you, you may not get the correct treatment when needed. The doctors often believe the information they have in their computers is correct and up-to-date when in fact most electronic medical records (EMRs) and/or electronic health records (EHRs) are far from correct.

I know from reviewing my electronic health record, there are some serious errors. I recently received access through a patient portal (their term) and in reviewing my record discovered several medication errors and medical history errors. Now I am on a mission to get them corrected. The first comment I received from one doctor's office was that it is correct and they were not changing it.

I am now composing a letter and I will hand deliver it with the corrections spelled out. This will start the clock and then if the records are not corrected, I will be forced to contact the correct officials to force the issue. I will also need to update my medical power of attorney to reflect the possible errors and provide the new copies to those I have designated to act for me if necessary.