1. What is a Personal Health Record (PHR)?
A Personal Health Record (PHR) is an online resource for you to store, maintain, track, and manage your health information in one centralized, private, and secure location.
2. What is the difference between a “PHR” and an “EMR”?
Since the PHR is managed by you, the consumer, it is different from an “Electronic Medical Record” or “EMR” that your doctor or hospital might use. Typically, an EMR contains medical information from each doctor’s visit, such as your examination results and treatment plan. Your PHR combines provider submitted information from multiple health care providers and treatment locations (“Claims Data”), whereas a provider’s EMR usually records only information on services received from that provider.
3. How is Claims Data added to my PHR?
Claims Data is added to your PHR based on information submitted to your health insurance company from doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratory services, and other providers. Claims Data comes in as part of the billing and data exchange between health plans and providers.
4. Can I add information to my PHR?
Yes, you can manually add information to your PHR at any time. It is important to have the date, name of the service, and provider information to complete the input process.
5. Is all of my medical information going into my PHR?
Your provider submitted Claims Data (including but not limited to doctors' visits, hospitalizations, laboratory services, prescription drugs) electronically populates your online PHR.
In addition, not all of your medical information is sent to the health plan, so therefore that information is not included in your PHR. For example, if you received a free flu shot at work, or you do not have pharmacy coverage with AmeriHealth or you paid out-of-pocket for prescriptions, none of these situations would result in a claim to AmeriHealth and the information will not be included in your PHR. For most lab tests done at a laboratory, the date of the test would be reflected in your PHR, but the actual test result would not. However, the following test results will be reported (if received from the lab):
| Test |
| Total cholesterol |
| LDL |
| HDL |
| Triglycerides |
| HbA1C |
| Pap smear |
Also, Claims Data may not appear timely due to the “claims lag” — meaning that after a provider renders a medical service to you, it takes time for the Claims Data to be processed and populated in your PHR.
6. What if I don’t want my Claims Data information added to my PHR?
You have the option to opt-out or decline having your medical Claims Data populated in your PHR, however if you decline to have your PHR populated, you will no longer have access to amerihealthexpress.
7. I have read the Terms and Conditions and I do not want to accept them. Can I still access amerihealthexpress.com?
If you do not accept the Terms and Conditions you will no longer have access to amerihealthexpress. You may return to the site at any time and accept the Terms and Conditions. You will then have access to amerihealthexpress.
8. I’ve already accepted the Terms and Conditions and I have Claims Data in my PHR and I no longer want Claims Data in my PHR. What are my options?
In order for you to stop your Claims Data from populating in your PHR you need to contact Customer Service at 1-800-275-2583 to have Claims Data removed from your PHR. Please note that this will disable your current access to amerihealthexpress. If at a future date you wish to access amerihealthexpress you can create a new account with a new user name and password.
9. This is the first time I’ve logged into my amerihealthexpress.com account, and when I went to my PHR it did not contain any information from my health plan. Why?
First-time users of our member portal will not see any information in their PHR. Once you become a registered user and accept the terms and conditions of the member portal, your Claims Data will be populated in your PHR in approximately 7-14 business days.
10. How often is my PHR updated?
Your PHR is updated whenever AmeriHealth sends a “batch” of information to update PHR files. These “batches” are sent weekly, however, keep in mind that it may take some time after you see a provider for that provider to send a claim to AmeriHealth and for that claim to be reviewed and processed. Depending on how quickly your health care provider submits a claim to AmeriHealth, it may take several weeks or more from the date of service for the Claims Data to be populated in your PHR. You will receive an email notification when Claims Data is added to your PHR. We encourage you to check your PHR frequently to see if your most recent Claims Data has been added to your PHR.
11. Who has access to my Personal Health Record?
You can access your PHR anytime by logging onto amerihealthexpress.com, our secure member website. Your information is safe and secure, and only you can view it. If you would like to make a copy for your records or give a copy to your doctor, simply select the Print button in the upper right hand side of the PHR screen, then select Health Record Report; when the screen with your PHR appears, press the printable version (PDF) button.
12. Can my health care providers access my PHR to coordinate my health care?
At this time, only you may access and view your PHR, however in the future AmeriHealth may allow certain providers who are treating you to view information from your PHR. Should you wish to share your PHR with your provider, you may print out a copy. Please refer to the question above for instructions on how to print a copy of your PHR.
13. What do I do if information in my PHR is inaccurate or if I don’t agree with it?
You will be able to tell the difference between information that you added to your PHR and Claims Data that was added by a professional source such as provider, laboratory, and/or pharmacy claim. If you feel that Claims Data populated in your PHR from a professional source is inaccurate, you should contact your health care provider (i.e., your physician, laboratory, etc.). AmeriHealth does not review or change Claims Data submitted by providers, including altering codes for the diagnosis or procedures submitted, so we suggest contacting the original source of the claim to discuss your concerns. Please note that once information is added to your PHR, either by you or through claims information, the on-line version will remain unchanged, however, you have the option to hide specific information on the printable version.
14. Can I delete or hide information on my Personal Health Record?
Yes, you have the option to hide specific information when you print a version to share with your family and/or provider, however you cannot delete information, as the online version will remain unchanged. Also, when you add information yourself to your PHR, you will be asked whether you want that item to “show” when you print out your PHR.
15. What happens to my information if I leave AmeriHealth as a health plan member or if my Member ID number changes? Can I still access my PHR?
Your PHR is populated by your Claims Data, which are tied to your member ID number. If you are no longer an AmeriHealth member, you will have access to your PHR for 90 days. Following the 90 days you will not have access to your PHR. Should you come back as a member at a later date, you may be assigned a new member ID number. Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to combine Claims Data from two different member ID numbers into the same PHR. If you leave AmeriHealth, we encourage you to print your PHR. To print your PHR, simply select the Print button in the upper right hand side of the PHR screen, then select Health Record Report; when the screen with your PHR appears, press the printable version (PDF) button.
16. My PHR looks different each time I log in—why is that?
Although the categories of the PHR do not change, each time a claim is added to your PHR, it may look different, depending on how many new claims may have been added.
17. What are these “Secure messages” and who is sending them to me?
A secure message may include information about age appropriate tests and screenings, such as colorectal cancer screenings and HPV screenings, and a notification message is sent to your personal email address. Secure messages are sent to members based on information that we have gathered from your PHR and Personal Health Profile (PHP) and contain protected health information (PHI includes any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to a specific individual). In order to protect your privacy, all messages containing PHI or based on claims data must be sent through the secure message process.
You may also receive non-secure messages which are sent directly to your personal email. Non-secure messages do not include PHI but may include general health information or reminders.
18. How far back in time does my PHR go? And if I stay as an AmeriHealth member, how many years of information can it hold on me?
Your PHR is originally populated with claims data that AmeriHealth has going back for a period of four years beginning in 2006. Once information is added to your PHR it will remain there as long as you continue to receive coverage as an AmeriHealth member. New information will continue to be added and stored in your PHR for as long as you are an AmeriHealth member.
Important Information about your PHR:
PLEASE READ:
Please note that this PHR is not a complete medical record and does not include all services, tests, products or medical advice that you may have received, or constitute the official medical record of such services, tests, products or medical advice. Nothing contained in the PHR is intended to be medical advice or instructional for medical for medical diagnosis or to suggest or recommend a course of treatment. The PHR is not intended to replace personal consultation with a qualified health care professional.