LAS VEGAS (Feb. 23, 2009) – Southwest Medical Associates (SMA), a Las Vegas-based medical group practice affiliated with UnitedHealthcare, introduced a portable medical record (PMR) designed to give health care providers immediate access to their patients’ health care information.

The PMR is a compact disc that – instead of containing the data on the disc – has a link to a portal containing a patient’s current, vital medical records, which can be accessed in real time by any health care provider, including emergency room physicians and staff.  The records contain key health care information including medications and health issues; recent hospital stays; EKG (electrocardiogram) test results; allergies; emergency contact information; and more. 

In addition, the PMR includes advance directive information.  Advance directives are instructions given by individuals specifying what actions should be taken for their health in the event they are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or incapacity. 

Accessing vital health information saves critical time for health care providers unfamiliar with a patient’s medical history and is especially useful in emergency-room and urgent-care settings.  All information is up to date, as the portal links to the patient’s current electronic medical record.  Because of this unique feature, the CD itself does not need to be updated.

The PMR is optional and is available free of charge to all UnitedHealthcare of Nevada commercial, Medicare and Medicaid health plan participants who receive primary or specialty care at an SMA facility, and who voluntarily complete and sign a written advance directive.  An advance directive is not required for UnitedHealthcare of Nevada health plan customers in order to receive primary and specialty care from SMA or to receive any plan benefits.

“The portable medical record provides important information to physicians, specialists and hospitals at the point of care.  It helps them maintain patient records, avoid prescription-drug duplication and provide better treatment, especially in the case of referrals to new doctors or emergency cases when the hospital is unfamiliar with a patient’s medical history.  Additionally, convenient access to an advance directive helps practitioners in planning care in accord with an individual’s health care wishes,” said Joseph Kaufman, M.D., president of SMA.

UnitedHealthcare plan participants who receive care at an SMA facility may download advance directive forms at www.smalv.com and take a completed form to any SMA clinic in Las Vegas.  The PMR disc, with the link to the advance directive as well as the medical records, will be mailed to the customer’s home within two to four weeks.  In the event a disc is lost or stolen, customers need only notify SMA and the disc will be immediately deactivated, similar to the procedure used for a lost credit card.  A replacement disc will be mailed promptly.

“We encourage our health plan customers who receive care at Southwest Medical Associates facilities to complete an advance directive and receive their PMR.  In an emergency, immediate access to vital health information will help enhance patient safety and maybe even save lives by reducing the possibility of medication errors,” said Steven Evans, M.D., vice president of medical affairs for Health Plan of Nevada, a health plan affiliate of UnitedHealthcare.

About Southwest Medical Associates and Health Plan of Nevada
Southwest Medical Associates is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare and operates 14 medical clinics throughout Las Vegas, including several urgent care centers and an outpatient surgery center.  The clinics are staffed by approximately 250 physicians and physician extenders.  Health Plan of Nevada (HPN) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare, and the oldest and most experienced health maintenance organization (HMO) in the state of Nevada.  In addition to an HMO, HPN also operates a point-of-service plan.

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies.  The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of more than 26 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 580,000 physicians and care professionals and 4,900 hospitals to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide.  UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.