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Tips to Better Organize Your Medical Information
(StatePoint) Stacks of paperwork have you down? It may just be time to reorga- nize your medical information and les.
From veterinarian bills to your children’s dental x-rays, these tips can help you get all your ducks in a row.
• Be Discerning: While most paperwork related to medical is important and worthy of saving, there are some items that can be tossed. Be discerning or you will quickly be overwhelmed. Keeping a shredder on hand can eliminate any concerns you may have about discarding potentially sensitive material.
• Make it Convenient: It’s all too easy to skip ling paperwork until it gets out of hand. Keep your ling cabinet near your home’s landing area where mail comes in,
so you can handle each item as it arrives. • Make Labels: Clear, concise labeling is
a must where e ective ling and orga- nization is concerned. Check out tools that simplify this process, such as Casio’s KL-120 Label Printer, which features a QWERTY keyboard and a 16-digit, two- line LCD display with 24-character sizes. For added visual ease, use color coded le folders or labels to sort by year or member of the family.
• Lock it Up: It’s always a good idea to securely store sensitive personal informa- tion. Consider using a ling cabinet that locks. Just remember where you put the key!
• Take Notes: Whenever you visit the doctor, be sure to bring a pad of paper
and something to write with, or a device on which you can jot down notes quickly. Be sure to date and label your notes and consider ling this along with any other information received from the health care provider that day, so that it’s easy to refer to, as necessary.
• Learn Your History: If you are not well-acquainted with your family’s medical history, resolve to learn it. You never know when an accurate record will come in handy.
Getting your medical information orga- nized may seem like an annoying chore at rst. But once you have a system in place, maintaining it will be smooth sailing.
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