Boy do I wish this app had been around when I was a kid: MotherKnows keeps a child’s comprehensive digital health record. I can’t even tell you the last time I had an eye exam let alone what vaccinations I’ve had in my life or exactly when I received them. Having quick access to a child’s medical history sounds like a long-overdue technology perk–a great way to prevent money loss, time waste, headaches, and heartbreak.
MotherKnows
Parents give their consent for a medical release online, and MotherKnows collects health documents directly from the doctor. Allergies, immunizations, charts, medications and dosages, visits to specialists–MotherKnows assembles original health records and makes it easy to access the information at any time.
In the event of an emergency, a move, an accident on a family vacation, MotherKnows enables parents to find the best care for their children quickly. No hunting down papers or doctors, no filling out medical history forms over and over, no confusion surrounding dates of medical visits or procedures. This web and mobile app (currently available in iOs with Android compatibility in the works) saves parents loads of hassles and worries.
Father Also Knows
Founder and CEO Hesky Kutscher has a history of putting information in the hands of consumers. He previously founded DailyShopper (now known as ShopLocal after a merger and acquisition), aimed at helping shoppers find the best deal; he still serves as Chairman at High Gear Media, a network of automotive blogs and websites. Kutcher is the father of two children and advocates passionately for patients’ access to health data. The MotherKnows system tries to unburden parents of multiple trips for paperwork every time a child changes schools, enrolls in programs, or heads to summer camp.
MotherKnows reminds parents of upcoming appointments and shots due as well, making it easier to manage a child’s health. If a family opts out of the service, they still keep any information gathered. Probably because I’m too embarrassed to admit this to a doctor, I’m not even sure of my blood type–and no, my mother no longer knows, because she never had an app like this to help her maintain records.
Security Concerns
In an age where we’re comfortable with the likes of a Facebook timeline that charts our entire history, why not maintain a convenient record of potentially life-saving information? Yes, health is intimate and it’s important to safeguard privacy. The immediate benefits far outweigh the risks here. If we trust storing our banking information digitally, why not our health? We traffic financial details much more heavily than we’re apt to with our health records.
Money
Sure the service isn’t free or perfect–name an aspect of the health care industry that is. A monthly subscription for one child runs $9.95. They’re discounts for yearly subscriptions or for keeping records of multiple children. Maybe one day, we’ll have a single platform for our all of our health-related information. Maybe the MotherKnows team will build it. For know, keeping an easily accessible and up-to-date health record of our children is a step in the right direction toward better health.
