Don’t Forget About Your Health When You Move

Moving can be an extremely stressful and long process for any family, especially when picking up all your belongings and potentially moving across the country or even internationally. More than 40 million people per year move in the United States and a whopping 80% of those moves take place between April and September, so it’s more important now than ever to understand why it’s important to not forget about your health when you move.

We often overlook this and we absolutely shouldn’t. Our health is one of the most important things that we have. That’s why it is vital to not only become more informed about you and your children’s health but to also be proactive in taking all of your family’s medical information and history with you when you move. It is a must-have part of any well-thought-out moving plan.

Taking your medical records with you will help make it easier to transition to a new doctor so that you won’t lose anything in the continuation of your care. Historically it used to be difficult to get copies of your family’s healthcare records from different doctors, clinics, and hospitals so that you could take them with you. But luckily that’s changed because of the Cures Act which went into effect in 2021 and requires that providers give patients their healthcare records upon request and by the third-party app of their choice.

Here are some tips that you should do before you move:

1. Let your current providers know that you are moving and make sure that you have copies of your records to share with your new doctors. One free app that can help with this is DrOwl, a secure, and HIPAA-compliant platform that makes it easy for you to combine your medical records from the VA, Medicare, and thousands of providers into one convenient place where you can access and share them as needed.

2. Don’t forget about your prescriptions. Be sure to fill any prescriptions that you need before you move to make sure that you don’t run out of your medications during the move.

3. Check with your health insurance provider to find doctors that you’ll need in your new location that is covered by your insurance plan in the area that you’re moving to. That way you can be proactive about setting up your care options in advance of the move.

As stressful as moving is, taking the time to plan ahead can help you to stay on top of the healthcare needs for you and your family.