ABSTRACT
A healthcare portfolio contains a file of patient health information or an individual personal health record. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has initiated its own pilot of a personal health record for Medicare beneficiaries. Portfolia™ is a patient electronic health system that provides health information when patients need it. Inadequate access to accurate health information causes problems for patients. Fragmentation occurs because patients see multiple providers. Providers are not equipped with a centralized database to help them organize comprehensive patient health information and therefore face the cumbersome challenge of exchanging healthcare information among themselves. Portfolia provides a retrospective, concurrent, and prospective tool for analytics and patient self-advocacy. As cyber-health evolves, the health infomediary specialist will play an important role as a dedicated, clear-thinking advocate for the patient. Patient advocates often observe firsthand the patient frustration and confusion with their advocacy patients.
