An essential tool in advocating for the patient is the LifeSpan GuardianKey™, a dynamic medical record that will be maintained in our office, downloadable to a USB Flash Drive to be carried by the subscriber; in the future, records will also be retrievable via a login and password to the LCM website. Also available on the website are services such as coaching, interfacing with insurance companies, attorneys and ancillary health providers.  The subscriber may update his records at any time. Doctors’ notes and all other pertinent information will be converted to an Adobe .PDF file for viewing. The GuardianKey™™ is password protected and HIPAA compliant.  In addition to the “standard” USB Flash Drive, specialized products, such as a wrist watch-like Flash Drive bracelet, removable only with the assistance of a second person, is used for patients with memory problems, such as Alzheimer’s patients.  The records on the LifeSpan GuardianKey™ can be accessed at an accident site by an EMT, at the hospital, the doctor’s office, and by physicians and other health care providers in every conceivable situation where personal information is needed.

The LifeSpan GuardianKey™, a USB flash drive, also known as a “token,” “memory stick,” or, “dongle,” is an extremely advanced, highly portable, modern version of the floppy disc.  The capacity ranges from 32 megabytes to 4 gigabytes, and the devices are ideal for storing varied and voluminous information.  In a State of the Union Address in 2005, President Bush called for national standards that would enable medical information to be digitized, stored and shared electronically.  “Within ten years, every American must have a personal electronic medical record,” he said.  That’s a good goal for the country to achieve.” A new position has been created within the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate government health-IT initiatives.  “The 21^st century healthcare system is using a 19^th century paperwork system.  Modern technology has not caught up with a major aspect of healthcare, and we’ve got to change that,” the President said.

The LifeSpan GuardianKey™ is available as either a pinky finger-sized flash drive that can be carried on a keychain or around the neck.  It is also available embedded in a bracelet, worn around the wrist, and ideal for Alzheimer’s patients as it can only be removed with assistance.

Password protected and encrypted, the information on the GuardianKey™ is accessible only to those individuals designated by the patient.  In an emergency event in which the patient cannot speak for himself, the flash drive is plugged into any computer, and the initial screen that comes up directs the viewer to call an 800 number that connects him with LifeSpan.  From there, the LifeSpan Care Manager gives the caller an alpha-numeric key that unlocks the system and guides the caller through critical health information. 

The patient’s information is stored, not only on the flash drive, but on an encrypted and password protected database accessible in LifeSpan’s numerous offices.  If the flash drive is misplaced or stolen, if there is a fire or some other crisis, retrieving the patient’s information is fast and easy.

Some of the essential information that might be stored on a CareKey are medical records, medications, x-rays, scans, living will and other legal documents, insurance cards, policies and information, house and car deeds, photographs of family heirlooms, passport, birth and marriage certificates, credit cards, tax returns, contact information for family and professional councilors, and even pet information.