MyHealtheVet
By Ellen Kozel
MyHealtheVet is an on-line program offered by the VA to allow veterans to take charge of their healthcare. It’s a free on-line personal health record that you can access on the internet anywhere, anytime 24/7.
From MyHealtheVet, you can track your prescriptions, get VA wellness reminders, check your appointments and when available send Secure Messages to your health care team.
One of its features is two medical libraries for you to research your topic of interest. MedlinePlus® offers over 700 topics on conditions, diseases and wellness from the National Library of Medicine, plus many other helpful and informative resources. While HealthWise® contains comprehensive, current, evidence-based, and unbiased information to help consumers make decisions about their health.
There are personal assessment tools for alcohol, depression and substance abuse screening, plus a tool for testing for PTSD. There is also information on service related conditions and common conditions.
You will create a profile and emergency contact list. You can add your insurance information, allergies and any medical conditions that may be important in case of an emergency. After you do all that you can print out an emergency information card that you can carry in your wallet or on your person in case you are unconscious and need medical treatment.
You can download any data about you contained in MyHealtheVet. You can download it in a format that is easy to read, either in PDF or TXT formats. In-Person Authentication (IPA) is a process used to verify a MyHealtheVet (MHV) user's identity. Registered MHV users who are VA patients that have completed the IPA process will be able to view the names of their VA prescriptions.
Before In Person Authentication can occur, several requirements must be met. You need to fill out a form available on-line in MyHealtheVet. You must take this form to your VA facility and there you will supply your VA identification card to a staff member. In-Person Authentication will extend your features in MyHealtheVet to include being able to view key portions of your electronic medical records.
There are a lot more features I could discuss here and I’ve only highlighted a few. Every veteran should use MyHealtheVet to keep up with their medical history. Sign up today and take charge of your health.