SuperAlert^® ID Medical ID Tags enable you to share vital information in emergency situations. They also enable you to store your entire medical history, current conditions and treatments, allergies, legal documents and affidavits, and more…

Medical ID Records and Medical ID Tags

A Medical ID record is created during the activation of a Medical ID tag.

In subsequent activations of other Medical ID tags, you can either create a new Medical ID record (for other people) or link the tag to an existing Medical ID record.

This means you can carry multiple Medical ID tags – all showing the same information – on your person for faster access by First Responders. Typically, an experienced First Responder will look for a bracelet, then a pendant and then wallet for identification and Medical Information. The sooner they can get to this vital information, the better their ability to help you when every minute counts.

This article focuses on recommended practices for loading information into Medical ID records. If you need to learn more about basic information record operations and adjusting security settings, you may want to view this article.

The Security Setup

The Dynotag Smart ID system has a simple, flexible and easy to use security and access control mechanism that uses the “traffic light” metaphor.

Not Password Protected
Password Protected
Private

You will notice the Record Access Control “traffic light” icons throughout the record sections and subsections. Clicking on the “traffic light” icon will pop up the access control menu on the item. (learn more)

Completeness Guides

There are a many record sections, especially for Medical IDs. It may be difficult to take all of this in at once. especially for the first time.

The system helps you view the record from the eyes of those who will view your record for the first time, in a given role. For Medical IDs, the following points of view are First Responders, Hospital Admittance Staff and Care Providers

You can expand each Guide Section by clicking the glowing “Expand” icon to the left of the bar – and similarly, click the “Collapse” icon to see only the completion bar again.

In order to minimize clutter on the screen, the completeness guides always start collapsed. You can expand them on demand.

In each guide section, there are labels of sections and key information fields listed. Initially, when the record is empty, every label shows as incomplete As the section or entry is completed, the field is marked complete and contributes to the green “Completeness” bar.

Here is what the completeness guide looks like for a record that only has a Primary Image added – but is mostly “incomplete”.

PLEASE NOTE
The completeness Guides are “Best Practices”, basic recommendations only.
A full green completion bar is better than an empty one, but you may need to add more information based on your specifics in order to have all the information needed by your care providers.

Completeness: First Responders

Think about an accident scene where you are unconscious and an ambulance just arrived at the scene. The Emergency Medical Staff needs as much critical information about you, as fast as possible. We suggest that at a minimum, you should have this section complete.

Completeness: Hospital Admittance

Now that First Responders were able to bring you to a medical facility, you need to go through the admission process. You may still be incapacitated. This information is “must have” for the admissions office to process and direct you to proper care, which may vary greatly depending on the completeness of your insurance and other information.

Completeness: Care Providers

Now that you are admitted to the hospital. you may still be incapacitated or in a confused state. The Medical professionals who will map out the care regimen for you MUST have complete and accurate information, as indicated here.
There may be more information you can upload as files or photographs of lab results, reports, treatment descriptions and so on.

We suggest that you show the contents of your medical ID to your primary physician during an office visit and seek his/her opinion on whether additional information should be uploaded.

Filling the record sections

Click on your Medical ID record button on the “My Records” screen. This will take you to the “Record Dashboard” where you can work on your record. You will be taken to the “Basic Information” section directly, so you can enter/update essential information for this record.

At any time, you can click and go to the top level Dashboard view of the current record, where you can access all the Information Sections available…

In the top “Data Panel” part of the Record Dashboard, you see all the information section items you can work on. We suggest you click the “Basic Information” icon and complete that section first, as it will provide the minimum required information in emergency scenarios.

The bottom “Function Panel” part of the record has other system settings and logs that can be viewed and/or adjusted as needed.

Concept: Mark as complete

Some sections have a header area are on top, followed by (optional) multiple entries. An example would be “Allergies”. The record owner may have one or more allergies – or none. If the section is NOT filled, is it because the record owner has NO known allergies or have they simply not gotten around to entering them. The “Mark as complete” checkbox tells the system that the section is empty, because the record owner does NOT have any known allergies. This will also serve the “Completeness Guides” that reference this section to consider it as complete.

You can still enter comments in the header “Overall comments” text area, such as “Used to have hay fever as a kid but not any more”.

Concept: Save Early, Save Often

While adding information to your record the system automatically highlights the new or updated information, and a black bar on top of the screen displays Cancel and Save buttons. When you are done entering your information, simply click “Save” to record your changes – or “Cancel” to abandon the changes. That much is intuitive.

Sometimes, as you keep on entering information, the system will request that you make a “Save/ Cancel” decision at that point. This is done to keep the information you enter in the record consistent and prevent addition of conflicting information.

Concept: Dropdown choice list text boxes w. override support

In filling the dropdown list text boxes, if such a text box displays “Select or Enter” in its initial placeholder text, that means you can either pick one of the choices in the dropdown list, OR enter your own custom phrase.

In the “Hair Color” dropdown list text box example shown below, you can pick one of the existing colors in the dropdown, or, just type your specific color into the top text box, replacing “Select or Enter” placeholder text. A custom hair color such as “Blue with silver highlights” is perfectly acceptable…

Information Section: Basic Information

This is your “vital” information and the initial set of information that will be displayed to First Responders.

The first concern of First Responders is to make sure the information belongs to the correct person. We strongly suggest you load a recent photo as the “Primary Record Image” on top of this section.
Blood type information is important and can be easily obtained if you do not know it. (learn more). Similarly, your date of birth is critical to establish your identity, as are weight, height, eye/hair color and other defining attributes.

You can add any important must-know information such as “Nut Allergies” or “DIABETIC” in the “Description” field so they are displayed up front. You can click the “Other Sections” button and enter more information in the Conditions /Medications/Allergies sections later on.

Information Section: Notes

Here you can add one or more notes and photos you feel is relevant to your medical ID.

Information Section: Contacts

This section contains a list of persons who should be contacted if you are incapacitated.

The system maintains “Address Books” for People, Doctors, Healthcare Facilities – so you may have more contacts in your address book – but choose to show only a selected few of them in this record…

We suggest you enter at least one contact for a Medical ID record. If you add multiple contacts, it is a good idea to order the most important ones to be on top of the list.

Information Section: Conditions

This section contains a list of your known conditions, current and in the past. We suggest listing current and sensitive conditions on top. It is recommended to list past conditions even if they are resolved – as some conditions can recur in the future (such as “Shingles”) and your condition history is very useful when doctors are trying to diagnose a non-obvious ailment.

If you had exposure to extreme environments or stress, or have used chemicals for any reason for an extended period, we also suggest noting them here even if you do not think they resulted in damage.

Examples may be extended exposure to the Sun (may lead to Melanoma), Smoker (since date), Mild alcohol consumption (indicate since when, and the frequency).

If you have NO conditions to report, use the “Overall Comments” field in this section and enter “NO KNOWN CONDITIONS”

Information Section: Medications

List your medications here. Do NOT list your supplements that are not prescribed by a doctor or medical professional.

Example: A specific dosage and brand of Fish Oil is a medication if it is prescribed by a doctor to keep your blood thin. If you are taking fish oil because you think it is a good idea, then it is a “Supplement” and list it in the “Supplements” section.

We suggest for each medication you attach a photo of the actual bottle and the dosage, and even the prescription. Attaching photos is easier and less error prone.

If you use NO medications, use the “Overall Comments” field in this section and enter “NO MEDICATIONS”

Information Section: Allergies

List all your allergies, current ones first, then any allergies you had in the past. It is important to cover any childhood allergies, etc. even if they are gone – as some of them may recur.

If you are allergic to a specific medication or class of medications, DO list them on top.

If you do NOT have any allergies, use the “Overall Comments” field in this section and enter “NO KNOWN ALLERGIES”. Your First Responders will appreciate finding this out ASAP.

Information Section: Procedures

List any and all medical procedures of significance, including procedures completed in the past, and procedures you are currently undergoing. Examples may be appendectomy, hernia surgery, spinal alignment surgery and other procedures.

Information Section: Vaccinations

Keeping track of our vaccinations is required during the pandemic.
Enter your COVID-19 immunization just like other immunizations. We suggest taking photos of your vaccination records/passports and adding them to the vaccination record, as shown in the following example

Together with your Photo ID (such as Drivers’ License or Passport photos loaded into the “Notes” section – this information may be of crucial importance in proving your identity and medical status during travel.

Information Section: Implants

If its presence is not noticed, an implanted medical device can lead to emergency care complications.

Implanted devices may be incompatible with MRI or occasionally CT scans.  Examples would include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD), aneurysm clips, cochlear implants, stents, implanted insulin pumps, etc.  Some devices can turn off in a MRI scanner or heat up in the magnetic field. 

It is important to have the name and model number of the device, which is typically provided to the patient in the form of a “wallet card” that they are told to carry at all times.

In this section, list any and all Medical Implants you have. If you have the “wallet card” that was provided at installation time, attaching photo(s) of that may be the easiest and the most accurate option.

Information Section: Support Devices

Support devices are not implants, but devices you may count on having available. An example would be a “CPAP Machine“, a specific type of wheelchair, an oxygen tank or personal oxygen concentrator, special eyeglasses and similar devices you may want transported with you – even if you are not conscious to ask for them to be brought with you – in a crisis condition.

Information Section: Service Animals

Service Animals are specially trained dogs federally protected by ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act.
If you have a Service Animal, you can place a SuperAlert ID card or tag on the Animal’s collar or vest, in order to provide Emergency Medical Information about yourself. In this section, you can also provide information about the service animal, including its photo, certification document and other relevant information.

Information Section: Supplements

In this section, list anything that you take regularly but is NOT prescribed by a doctor.

Some supplements, while their effectiveness is NOT proven, may lead to complications and side effects, either on their own OR in combination with other medications. Examples: Too much calcium, too much iron, even fish oil can lead to complications all by themselves – or when taken in conjunction with specific prescription medication.

Information Section: Physicians

This section contains a list of medical professional who currently care for you or have cared for you in the past. We suggest you enter your primary physician first – or move their entry to the top of the list.

Physicians include doctors of optometry, dentists, podiatrists – any qualified medical person who treats your ailments and conditions.

The system maintains “Address Books” for People, Doctors, Healthcare Facilities and Pharmacies – so you may have more Physicians in your address book – but show only use a selected few of them in this record.

It is useful to note the physicians who treated you in the past may come in useful in certain conditions as they may have specific records about you that you do not have.

We suggest you enter at least one primary physician for a Medical ID record. If you add multiple contacts, it is a good idea to order the most important ones to be on top of the list.

Information Section: Healthcare Facilities

This section contains a list of healthcare facilities you periodically visit or have visited in the past. These may be clinics, hospitals or private practice addresses. We suggest you enter your primary facility first – or move their entry to the top of the list. You can list any preferred pharmacies you have in this list as well.

The system maintains “Address Books” for People, Doctors, Healthcare Facilities – so you may have more Healthcare Facilities in your address book – but show only use a selected few of them in this record.

Information Section: Pharmacies

Most adults on a treatment regimen have a preferred pharmacy that fills their prescriptions. There may be one or more pharmacies (one by the Summer home, for example). You can add all of them here.

Information Section: Insurance Policies

This section lists arguably one of the most important aspects of your Medical ID: The Insurance policies that you are currently covered under. Many people have different insurance companies and plans covering medical, dental, vision and other needs.

You can enter the information manually, but we suggest taking photos of the front/back of each insurance card and attaching them in this section. It is far less error prone, and you capture all the information on the card.

The insurance information should be accurate and up to date. We suggest at least an annual review of all medical IDs to ensure the information is current.

Information Section: Family History

While this is an optional section, filling it to the best of your ability may prove later on, especially in diagnosis of hereditary conditions that surface later in life.

The system maintains “Address Books” for People, Doctors, Healthcare Facilities – so you may have more people in your address book – but show only use a selected few of them in this record.

Information Section: Attached Files

In this section, you can attach raw files to your Medical ID record. These may be any kind of file, such as Word Processor files, spreadsheet files, audio files, pdf files.

A key use of this files section is keeping legal documents such as DNR, Consent for treatment, special requests, as well as personal ID documents such as birth certificate, etc. available in case of need.

In addition to standard record and information section security mechanisms, this section enables you to optionally specify a unique download password for each file.

If you need to attach photos, we suggest you consider the “Notes” section, because uploaded “photos” are compressed by the system in order to achieve storage efficiency. Files, on the other hand, are NOT compressed and can use up considerable footprint.

At any point in time, you can view the current record’s file storage quota usage by clicking the “Details” icon in the “Function Panel” section of the “Record Dashboard”. In addition to reporting the storage usage, a mechanism to upgrade available storage is also provided.

Advanced Concept: Password Mode

When a SuperAlert^® Medical ID tag is on your person, the default password security system of using Tag Activation Key as the access password works well.

However, if at least one of the Medical ID tags will not be on your person, but attached to an object that can be viewed independently, you need to consider using the “Record Password” mode.

Some example situations are Medical ID tags such as Windshield Cling Medical IDs and Medical ID stickers.

When the Windshield Cling ID is mounted on your vehicle, a casual passer by can view the Key Code on the tag and access password protected information. The same applies to a sticker that is on your telephone, your refrigerator or on a medical supply box.

In such cases, we suggest you put your record into “Record Password” mode as described here.

Note that any files you upload into your Medical ID record can be individually password protected, each file with their own custom passwords.

Do: Keep your record information up to date

Health information, insurance information, hospitals, medications, doctors – majority of all the information stored in your record changes all the time. For your Medical ID to serve you properly, please take the time to keep it up to date.

Do: View your record often and verify proper display

It is very important that you use the “View Record” menu function often when updating your record. This lets you view your record exactly like a third party would – so you can adjust the security settings and the information just right.

Example setup

You can read Lisa Miller’s example story here. You can also view Lisa’s real Medical ID record here.