MedicAlert: Preventing Emergencies from Becoming Tragedies

March 9, 2006

During an emergency, medical personnel have only moments to determine a patient's needs and begin lifesaving care. They'll need to know if you have diabetes, an allergy to medication, a heart problem or any other medical condition. But you may be unconscious or in so much pain that you can't recall these critical details, and, as a result, the risk of complications and medical errors can increase significantly.

According to the Institute of Medicine, medical errors are the 8th leading cause of death in the country, ahead of motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS.

MedicAlert® reduces medical errors by providing healthcare professionals with the specific medical information that is often needed before treatment can begin. Emergency responders are trained to look for the MedicAlert ® emblem, emergency card or E-HealthKEY® during a patient's assessment. All of these products relay a patient's primary medical condition(s) and the phone number to the nonprofit organization's 24-hour Emergency Response Center . By calling the 24-hour Emergency Response Center , first responders can receive further information from the patient's Electronic Health Record (EHR) with their key medical facts.

Cora Green*, 82, from Woodside , CA was driving her car on a hot afternoon only a few miles from her home, when she suddenly blacked out. Mrs. Green recalls her car was parked in front of someone's property, but had no idea how she got there. Fortunately for her, the driver's window was down, as the temperatures were in the 90s that day.

An officer from the Atherton Police Department saw her emblem and called the MedicAlert® 24-hour Emergency Response Center , MedicAlert® provided vital information, and Mrs. Green was taken to Stanford Medical Center in nearby Palo Alto , where she spent the night in ICU. She was released the following Sunday afternoon to her family.

Mrs. Green is doing fine now and said, "because of MedicAlert's® prompt attention, I made it through. Thank you for all you have done."

"MedicAlert® has one simple mission, and that is to protect and save lives in a medical emergency," said Paul Kortschak, president and CEO of MedicAlert. "Our staff, which includes registered nurses and EMT's, are committed to excellence in member services. We answer over 1,000 calls per day from our members, and 3,500 emergency calls per year."

MedicAlert® is able to store a variety of medical information in the member's EHR, including current medical conditions, emergency contacts, medication dosages, EKG, implanted devices, immunization records, advance directives, and organ donation specifications. The EHR is stored in a secure database and is never given to unauthorized personnel.

Even if an individual does not have any known medical conditions, it is important that they can be identified should they wander off, have an accident, or become unconscious. Law enforcement and the public safety community are also trained to contact the 24-hour Emergency Response Center . MedicAlert is able to provide the name and family contact information of the member so that they can be returned home safely.

Over 100,000 medical professional recommend MedicAlert to their patients. They understand that MedicAlert provides peace of mind and prevents emergencies from becoming tragedies.

"We in EMS are medical detectives," said Thomas Brabson, DO at Albert Einstein Medical Center . "MedicAlert® may give us that clue we need."

Dr. Marion C. Collins, a Turlock physician, founded MedicAlert® in 1956 after his daughter suffered an allergic reaction to a tetanus antitoxin and nearly lost her life. He wanted a simple way for others to be aware of her condition, and the idea of a body-worn emblem was born. The idea quickly caught on and today MedicAlert® has affiliates in 9 countries including Canada , the United Kingdom , Australia , and New Zealand that help serve 4 million members around the globe.

For more information, please call 800-ID-ALERT TM or visit www.medicalert.org. Initial membership is $35, which includes an Emergency Member Card, establishment of your MedicAlert EHR, secure online access to your MedicAlert® records and the 24-hour MedicAlert Emergency Response Center . Our basic stainless steel emblems are available for $7.95 each (designer emblems and are available at a higher price). The annual renewal fee is $20.

*Name changed to protect privacy of member.