Company Takes Medical Records Online

MIAMI (CBS4) - If you're like most patients, when the doctor asks about your past medical history, it can become quite a test of your deep memory.

But, a company created here in South Florida has just begun offering a system that will keep people's medical history on line.

"You lose track of your doctors. They move and you don't know they moved," said Pastor Joaquin Willis, a user of www.activdoctorsonline.com.

Pastor Willis, a Gulf war veteran, has an extensive medical history which he now keeps on activdoctorsonline.com, a system that categorizes people's medical information from visits to even scans and x-rays.

"I am comforted knowing all my files are on line. I have all my medical records now going back to childhood," said Pastor Willis.

The company, founded in South Florida, created the system to save people time by organizing medical details and save patients money by not duplicating any tests patients may have forgotten they had.

"It gives me all of the information. I need as a doctor right when I need it. Nothing is going to get lost. That is one of our greatest fears, that something important is going to get lost," said Dr. Howard Zahalsky.

"You ask more questions. You are more aware of your circumstances. You actually take better care of yourself," said Bernard Lee, Executive Vice President of Activdoctorsonline.com

And what about the website's security?

"We have the highest level of encryption and security that is available today," said Lee, a claim that is reassuring for patients like Pastor Willis.

"You may be in great health today, but you do not know what health you will be in tomorrow," said Pastor Willis.

The company's goal is to provide a million people with a year's worth of subscriptions to keep their medical history online.

After the free year subscription, the system gets costly. It will run $150 dollars a year, but discounts are available for patients affiliated with non-profit groups.