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Chronic hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes inflammation in the liver. Hep C is curable in most cases, but left untreated, the infection can lead to serious complications, including liver damage, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. People who have hep C are advised to seek treatment as soon as possible.
As with many health conditions, people who are being treated for hep C may find themselves keeping track of a lot of paperwork. Keeping that paperwork organized can be helpful for several reasons.
It will make it easier to provide information to your healthcare providers, insurance providers, or other organizations that may be a part of treatment—such as programs that provide financial assistance. It can give you a better overview of your health and your healthcare needs. Organization means less clutter and less stress, leaving you more time and energy to focus on getting well.
Here are some tips and strategies that can help you organize your hep C paperwork.
Find your filing system
Different systems work for different people, but generally you’ll want to organize documents by type—for example, separate folders for medical papers, bills, insurance paperwork, and receipts for out-of-pocket expenses.
You may prefer to keep paper copies or electronic copies or both. Whatever your method, it’s advisable to keep a backup copy in a safe place.
What to include
Your file of hep C paperwork should include:
- Health insurance information. Including copies of your insurance cards, your insurance plan, and documents received from your provider—explanation of benefits (EOB) documents, claims submitted, approvals and denials.
- Contact information. This includes names, addresses, and phone numbers for your healthcare providers, pharmacy, labs, insurance provider, and your emergency contacts.
- Lab reports. Include copies of any diagnostic test results. In the case of hep C, this will likely be blood work that measures viral load and liver function.
- Medical history. Including documents related to other health conditions you have been diagnosed with and any prior hep C treatments.
- List of medications you take. Including over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements.
- Treatment information. Including copies of your prescription for hep C treatment, the date you started treatment, and instructions received from your healthcare provider.
- Bills and receipts. Including bills from your healthcare provider, lab, and pharmacy.
- Financial aid information. If you’ve applied for and/or received payment assistance to help cover the out-of-pocket costs of hep C treatment, keep copies of all relevant documents.
- Your notes. It can help to take notes throughout the treatment process. Take notes during appointments with your healthcare provider and conversations with your insurance provider. Also take notes on how your treatment is going, including any side effects—which your healthcare provider will need to know about.
Completing treatment for hep C typically takes a few months, but it can prevent the serious, long-term complications associated with chronic liver inflammation.
Once treatment is complete, you can use your organized hep C paperwork as the foundation for a personal health record (PHR)—a file containing documents related to the other aspects of your healthcare.
