Amid this pandemic, vaccines are a topic that is at the forefront of health conversations and news. Everyone is looking forward to the day that a COVID-19 vaccine is available to help us start returning to “normal”. However, there’s another aspect that perhaps only some have considered: proof of having received the COVID-19 vaccination.

2021 May Be the Year More People Need Proof of Vaccination

Typically, the only situations requiring vaccination records are grade school and summer camp attendance, being a member of a sports team, military enlistment/deployment, and employment in the health and safety industries. However, 2021 could be the first year where average people need a way of presenting proof of vaccination in situations ranging from attending a game at a sports venue to boarding an airplane. There is even historical precedent of the U.S. government mandating vaccinations. Even employers have the legal right to enforce vaccination requirements for their employees. It’s not farfetched to imagine a future where employers make proof of COVID-19 vaccination a condition of new or even continued employment.

Empowering Patients with Easily Accessible Vaccination Records

This possibility fits neatly into the health care industry’s trend of encouraging patients to take a more active role in their own health care. One way patients can take a step towards that goal is to know if they are up-to-date on their vaccines and maintain an easily accessible vaccination record. The CDC’s vaccination schedule for adults is more involved than most would think, e.g. specifying repeated doses of vaccines like TDAP every 10 years. Personally, I would like to know I’m up-to-date on my vaccines without having to sift through old paper records or contact multiple health care providers such as pharmacies and general practitioners.

Electronic Records a Better Solution than Paper-Based

Even in this day and age of technology, one of the CDC’s official recommendations for recording your vaccinations is to use this PDF. You’re instructed to print it out, take it with you every time you are vaccinated and have your provider fill it out. This inherently comes with all the downsides of a paper-based solution, ranging from the potential for human error when recording the information to damage or loss of the entire record itself. The vast majority of health care providers have incorporated some form of electronic health system for storing patient data, often with a patient portal. This gives patients the means to more easily access or even download copies of their health records. These copies can then be viewed at any time by using cloud storage solutions such as Dropbox or Apple’s iCloud Drive, which allow access to those files from whatever device is on hand.

pMD Makes Requesting & Receiving Records Easy for Patient & Provider

pMD already has the capability to assist patients with retrieving their vaccination and health records. Patients can securely message their practice from the app and request for their records. Practices can then directly send health records to their patients in a HIPAA-compliant manner using the attachments feature in our patient messaging platform. Even obtaining access to the patient portal of providers’ electronic health record systems can be simplified through pMD via chat communication, allowing login information to be shared securely. With such an easy tool available to get a handle on your vaccination and health records, why not start today?