My Health Home

Take charge of your health.

Many of us are becoming more intimately involved in our health care decisions—becoming better patients by joining our health care providers as part of our own medical care team. 

One way to do this is by creating a Health Home for yourself and your family, using these four principles:

1. Have a central resource for health and wellness information.
2. Know which health care provider you can turn to for advice on decision-making and for help with coordinating care.
3. Have a central collection point for individual health records—one that’s easy for you to access.
4. Create an individual wellness plan for yourself and your family—share with your provider and work to actively implement your plan.

The resources below provide the information and tools needed to create a Health Home or to just take more control over your own health care—helping you to become the most informed member of your own health care team.

Consumer Resources

Knowing our own personal health information and our family’s health history are critical to taking ownership of our health.  Each time we see a new physician or specialist, we are asked for this important information.  Tools and links on this page can help you organize this information, and can help you ensure it is readily available the next time you need it.

Personal Health Records
For decades, the medical system has controlled individual health records—a hospital or clinic would hold your medical records and you would fill out a paper form to receive a copy of your own information.  Today, electronic medical records are changing that.  Individuals can create their own online personal health records—visit this page to read about and link to the numerous options available from the private sector (such as Microsoft and Google), from health insurers (such as Regence) and from providers (such as Group Health).

Individual Wellness Plan
Taking time each year to create a wellness plan for yourself (and perhaps for your family) can set you on a path toward optimal health.  This page provides a comprehensive Individual Wellness Plan that you can complete—be sure to share your plan with your health care provider for his or her input and guidance.

Choosing the Right Health Care Provider
Finding the right health care provider can seem overwhelming, but it is critically important to your health.  While no provider can possibly meet the unique needs of every patient, this guide can help you determine which provider is the best fit for you.  This guide uses the three “R’s” to help you find the right health care provider: Recommendations, Research and Relationship.

Hospital Guide
A hospital stay, whether planned in advance or entered into through the emergency room, can be an overwhelming experience.  This page provides a Hospital Guide that you can use for your own hospital stay or to help a loved one.  Choose either the “planned stay” or “emergency” guide that will walk you through the different stages of your hospital experience, providing questions to ask providers and places to take notes on each stage—from admitting to discharge (and everything in between, including tests and procedures).  The Hospital Guide is available in both English and Spanish.

Prescription Drug Safety
How do you safely dispose of prescription medications?  It’s a question that, over time, has had many different answers.  Learn the best way to quickly and safely dispose of prescription medications, while protecting yourself and the environment.