When I thought about a way to introduce my topic today, I was reminded of a question a man asked one of his lady friends. He said, “Have you ever been real sick?” She said, “No, but I have never been real well.”

The medical profession in our nation has a tremendous challenge each day, as they try to keep as many of us as possible “real well” or as well as we can be given our age, medical history and other factors that determine the longevity of our lives. Personally, I am extremely grateful to be living in these exciting times as medical advances and technology have moved us to the point where we now have life expectancy of somewhere between 75 and 80 years of age in the United States. In contrast, in the year 1900, life expectancy was around 48 years of age.

However, like most things, there is still room for improvement, especially as this relates to individual patients who check into our hospitals and medical clinics each day. I say this considering something I received a while back from The Catalyst Group, a public relations firm representing a new medical service called “MedeFile.” More about this service in a moment but here is something worth thinking about, especially if you are in poor health and make frequent trips to the hospital or a doctor’s office. 

Each year in the United States, about 195,000 people die due to potentially preventable in-hospital medical errors, according to a recent study of 37 million patient records of Health Grades, an independent ratings, information and advisory services company. On average, medication errors alone increased costs by $2.8 million annually, and medical errors, as a whole are estimated at 29 billion per year. According to a report from the late Dr. Barbara Starfield of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, medical errors are the third leading cause of death, following only heart disease and cancer. Forty-two percent of people believe they have personally experienced a medical mistake, according to a phone survey by the National Patient Safety Foundation. 

MedeFile provides the solution to these medical technology needs. Cedar Knolls, N.J.-based MedeFile International introduces a new, cost-effective solution that is safe and secure for patients that desire to be in control of their vital lifetime medical records. For a fee, this new service provides customers, doctors, emergency room doctors, EMTs etc.. secure access to medical records 24 hours a day, seven days a week from virtually anywhere in the world. 

At this point I would like to make a personal disclaimer. By sharing this information in a column, I am not endorsing this service. Rather I am just passing along the concept and how it could potentially save the lives of many of the 195,000 individuals who die each year. There is an old saying that applies here: “We all make mistakes, but doctors bury their mistakes.” Most doctors and nurses are highly competent — mine are — but if you want to check out this service it is available to you. God Bless!

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. For a personalized copy of “Keep Your Fork” send $25, which includes postage and handling and tax, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)