Now Available: The ATHNready Personal Health Report

Horizons in Hemophilia, February 2012

By Alan Shier, Community Support Leader, American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network

Living with a bleeding or clotting disorder can be challenging.  In recent years treatment advances have led to improved health outcomes.  Now, emerging technologies are making new tools available to help patients manage their medical care, and their lives.

The American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network (ATHN), a non-profit organization committed to advancing and improving care for individuals affected by bleeding and clotting disorders, has joined with treatment centers across the U.S. to support technology for care and research for patients who have a bleeding or clotting disorder.

Now, as ATHN affiliates, treatment centers in Georgia are offering you a chance to participate in a new program called ATHNready.  The program is set up so that treatment centers can provide their patients with an ATHNready Personal Health Report which contains a patient’s core health information saved on a convenient wallet-sized flash drive.

Treatment center staff can provide this report to patients upon request.  The report contains an individual’s diagnosis and current treatment recommendations.  It also includes a patient’s contact information and the treatment center’s address and phone numbers in case of emergency.

The ATHNready Personal Health Report can be an essential part of your emergency plan.  Having a personalized report confirming your treatment regimen can greatly improve your chances of accessing the care you need if you have to seek care somewhere other than your treatment center.  Now that spring is approaching we are reminded that tornadoes are a concern here in Georgia.  Following Hurricane Katrina, many people with chronic health conditions endured disruptions in their medical care.  This report can help make sure you never experience that situation.

Because the ATHNready report is loaded onto a credit card sized drive it can be carried easily and used whenever needed. The report can be viewed by loading the drive into any computer.  Or, if preferred, the report can be printed.  In fact, having the report available in a PDF file format allows multiple copies to be printed.  This flexibility to carry the report in either electronic or printed form ensures that accurate and complete treatment information can be presented to any medical provider or emergency responder.

ATHN encourages everyone with a bleeding or clotting disorder to ask your treatment center for your very own ATHNready Personal Health Report. With ATHNready, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your medical information is backed up and updated regularly.  Each time you attend your routine clinic appointments, you can have your ATHNready flash drive loaded with your most up-to-date treatment information.  No need to worry about an outdated travel letter that may not reflect your current dosing.  ATHNready will reflect your changing treatment needs. 

Ask your treatment center for more information today and visit ATHN’s website to learn more at www.athn.org.