Pros: As patients are becoming more hand-on about managing their personal health records, The Estate Vault released an electronic PHR. Being portable, it can be used without an Internet connection through your desktop PC or a self-contained USB card and also on the web. These three systems are synchronized together and you have full control over what information will be placed on the Internet. You may choose to keep you data on your desktop or USB and not online or any combination of the three options. In terms of security, your data is encrypted with blowfish algorithm, which is higher than military grade. Additionally, Estate Vault won’t require you to disclose your usernames and passwords. You only input the information that you want to.

Cons: A subscription with Estate Vault will entail not only PHR-related services, but its full range of financial services including a legal documents creator, home inventory listing, credit card registry, and estate planning tools, among others. As such, the cost is steep at $199.99 for the first year and $129.99 for each following year. Take note that there are other PHR management services and digital safe deposit boxes out there that you can get at a lower price or even for free.

The Bottomline: The Estate Vault PHR is for the more discerning consumers who are willing to pay more for top-notch security and higher-quality services. As mentioned, it utilizes security measures that are even better than military grade so this means that all of the data that you choose to store with them is safe and secure. Just look around the website and study what other services you’ll be getting for $199.99 aside from PHR management. If you think that you’ll need those services, then you may want to consider Estate Vault.

Editor’s Rating:

Reviewed on July 31, 2011

Summary:
The Estate Vault offers electronic services that give its users the tools to record and manage all of your important data using a secure and easy-to-use solution. The PHR aspect is called The Estate Vault PHR.



Features:
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Portable
You have three options for use: on the web, on the desktop, or through Estate Vault’s USB key. You don’t need to have an Internet connection in order to use the Estate Vault PHR. You just need a computer running on Microsoft OS in order to access your records. Those three options are synchronized plus you have the choice of where and what information to put. You may opt to keep data in your USB key and your desktop computer and not online, or you may choose a different combination of the three.



Emergency Care Response
You can pre-authorize emergency care personnel to have access to your critical medical information like contact persons, health insurance information, allergies, current medications, past and present medical conditions, and so on. All the information that is imperative for first responders during your treatment in emergency situations will be made available.

Security
The Estate Vault implements several safety protocols including individualized login, timed logoff, and data image verification, and encryption, among others. The combination of these methods is one of the best in the industry so you will have peace of mind knowing that your personal and financial data is in safe hands.