Since I live on the northern plains, I’ve grown up with the knowledge that Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic is considered a go-to facility for people worldwide, including royalty from around the world. So, in my part of the country, when the Mayo Clinic sends out a press release, we who receive them generally give them some attention.  

The latest release I recently opened from Mayo Clinic is about a free, online Health Manager application developed through a collaboration between the clinic and Microsoft. This tool helps people manage and coordinate care for their families.

People can create personal health files for anyone in their family. The application then interprets the information and provides health recommendations based on the clinical expertise of Mayo Clinic that are, according to a press release, “specific to each member’s life stage and health status.”

The Mayo Clinic Health Manager will store and share personal health information for multiple family members, provide advice and give reminders and health guidance specific to the health issues and life stages of family members. The user can transfer data directly into their Mayo Clinic Health Manager profile from a wide range of providers, devices such as blood pressure cuffs or glucose monitors, or pharmacies and health plans connected to Microsoft Health Vault. They even have a tool to help you prepare yourself or a loved one for a doctor appointment.

This tool seems well worth checking out. If you want to take a look, go to the Mayo Clinic home page and scroll down a bit. On your left, you’ll find the button for the Health Manager. Then you can explore and decide whether an online health management tool is for you.

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Tags: computer, Health, medical records, mentors in caregiving, Technology, unpaid family caregivers