An interesting thing happened when I went back to creating my own personal health record last night. The free online PHR software offered by ihealthrecord.com allows me to skip over the parts of the record I’ve already filled out, so I went right to the medications page again – wanting to be sure I did check off the correct medications – and when I did, up popped another page, this one telling me about the educational programs in which I could enroll. Some of the programs are:

Antibiotics: What You Should Know by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Cholesterol: Treatment of High Cholesterol With Lifestyle Changes by Medem Colorectal Cancer Screening: For People of Average Risk Age 50+ by the American Cancer Society (ACS) Immunization: Vaccinations and Your Child by Medem

And 30 more, for a total of 34 programs.The sign-up page told me to:

"Please enroll in the programs that are appropriate for you by checking the box(es) next to the program name. You will receive educational information (in the form of Secure Messages in your Message Inbox) on a periodic basis regarding your conditions and/or medications."

This is a very nice aspect of this PHR. I signed up for two programs and, while I’ve yet to receive anything — homework, fun! — in my inbox in the 24 hours since I registered, I’m looking forward to reading the offerings. Next on my creating-my-PHR to-do list: giving the record the details, the skinny, the nitty-gritty, on why I’m taking the meds I said I am.