Why Organized Patients Get Better Care — Here’s How to Become One in 30 Minutes.

If you have an older family member or someone you care about who is ill, I’ll outline simple steps to help them get the best care possible — because this could be you or someone you love sooner than you think.

What Should You Include in Your Personal Health Record

Forget the complicated binder and color-coded systems. All you need are the basics:

Current medications. Take a photo of each pill bottle with your phone. Create a separate album called “Meds”. Update it anytime your medications change. When asked by your doctor what medications you are currently taking, give them your phone.

Active medical conditions. Write down the following: diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, etc. — a brief summary of your active medical issues.

Recent test results. Most patient portals provide a means for you to download your lab results and imaging reports. Download them to your phone or send them to yourself via e-mail. When you meet with a new specialist, you will not have to spend unnecessary time and money repeating tests.

Doctor Contact Information. List their name, phone number, specialty, and areas of treatment. When you are dealing with multiple specialists, it is very easy to confuse who is treating whom.

Your questions. Prior to every appointment, write down the questions you wish to ask the doctor. Place the most important question at the top. Doctor’s office visits are very often short, and if you save your most pressing issue for the end of the visit, you may never get a proper answer to your question.