As thousands of seasonal travelers—also known as snowbirds—make plans to migrate to the Southwest for warmer weather, Scottsdale-based Medical Records Systems advises them to pack a personal health record along with their sunscreen and golf clubs.

Members of Medical Records Systems have access to their complete and accurate health file, including print and electronic medical records, digital image studies, vaccines, medications and special health conditions – all which can be vital, lifesaving documents during medical emergencies. The benefits of having electronic medical records is easy access to a patient’s files in the case of routine or emergency medical needs or for added convenience, and correct medical care, when seeing physicians away from their hometown.

Dr. Arnold Curry, founder and CEO of Medical Records Systems, witnessed firsthand the need for a consolidated health file through his work in health care and personal experience with patients and insurance providers.

“When emergencies happen, it is important to have your medical records on hand immediately. In the past, medical records were not easily accessible when traveling,” said Dr. Curry, a medical director at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis, N.M. “We’ve created a simple solution to help people control their health files from anywhere online, allowing them to worry less about an emergency and focus on plans to relax while away from home.”

Seniors can gain control of their health records before traveling through membership activation and uploading medical records, which can also be entered securely by Medical Records Systems. Designed to meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) security standards, Medical Records Systems is easy to navigate for consumers who are new to digital technology or are not Internet savvy.

New members can join Medical Record Systems for 99 cents during a trial month, after which the monthly rate becomes $9.95 a month or $99.95 per year for the primary storage space of 100MB. Basic membership provides sufficient storage for individuals with enough storage for either 300 pages which includes imaging and scanned pages.

Other memberships are designed for families with two to six individuals, or individuals with special health needs that will benefit from Medical Records Systems’ PADI Imaging System, a picture archiving and communication system for convenience to images from multiple modalities. This allows more dynamic viewing of images rather than one static view.

In addition to preparing a medical health record before travel, Dr. Curry recommends members keep health medical studies such as colonoscopies and mammograms current. Dr. Curry also suggests seniors share the names of their primary care physicians with their spouse and immediate family members before traveling.