For the past ten years, aggregating medical information in a central repository has become more and more important to creating a reliable individual health care program. But at the same time, stories of data security failures and breaches by hackers abound and many people are understandably hesitant to share sensitive medical data with some sort of cloud-based database. We thought it might be helpful if we shared our take on this practice from a medical provider’s standpoint. Simply put, allowing a doctor to access your medical history can save your life. In an emergency, you are most likely going to be in a condition that will render you unable to communicate with or otherwise help a medical provider give you the right care. A central database with a history of your medication, conditions, tests, etc., saves critical time, prevents errors, and literally saves a life every day. If you have ever read the information page that accompanies every prescription you’ve ever received, there is a section that describes possible side-effects and it includes the language that while there are potential negative side effects, your doctor feels the benefit of the medication outweighs the possible side effects. The doctors at TapestryHealth couldn’t agree more. The risks of sharing your medical history on a secure database are far outweighed by the critical information it provides us in a life-saving situation. Let us know what you think.