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You’re in an accident and have been rendered unconscious. Paramedics are summoned to the scene. What’s the first thing they look for? Wallet, keys, cellphone (kind of like my checklist when I leave the house). What are they looking for there? Any information which may be vital to your treatment. And the more information a first responder has, the better you will be served. Unfortunately, I don’t know many people who carry around medical information in their wallet. So MyRapidMD is targeting another part of your repertoire: Your cell phone. Their Emergency Service Profile (ESP) application can give first responders the information they need to potentially save your life.

What kind of information is in an ESP?

Clearly, you’re going to want your vital information entered into your Emergency Service Profile, so that a first responder can easily find all he or she needs. That includes blood type, allergies, medications, and pacemakers, as well as any medical conditions you may have, like Diabetes. The first responder can then use that information to get you personalized treatment.

Emergency contacts are also included in your ESP. So if you need a trip to the emergency room, your loved ones can be contacted quickly, and without someone guessing as to which contact in your address book is the most appropriate to call.

How did MyRapidMD choose which information was relevant and which was not? By working with first responders and other emergency officials. That includes firemen, paramedics, and ER nurses.

What won’t be included in your ESP is personal information like your social security number or any financial data. Basically, if your phone is stolen, the thief will not have access to any information which may be used for identity theft. It’s only information that’s of use to emergency service officials. And if you’re still a bit wary of this, you have the option to make certain fields private.

“It provides the critical emergency information and photo ID about a person in an accident or medical emergency,” says Mark White, president and cofounder of MyRapidMD. “It is not trying to provide an extensive personal health or medical history record of a person. That’s what online medical record services such as Microsoft’s Health Vault, Google Health, or WebMD’s PHR do, among others. Simply put, time and information save lives, and trickle down effects directly benefit healthcare, emergency services, and their relevant providers. Our goal is to deliver that information as quickly and effectively as possible when needed.”

What comes with your subscription

MyRapidMD is an application to be downloaded to your phone, not a mobile website. This means that even if your cellphone doesn’t have signal, a first responder can still access your information through your cellphone. And if the phone has been broken in the accident, one of the MyRapidMD identifiers contained in your subscription can allow them to access your data remotely.

When you sign up for MyRapidMD, you receive wallet and key chain cards. These contain your member ID, and as I said, can be used in case your phone isn’t operational at the time of your accident. It also comes with a sticker for your phone — kind of like the Tot Finder stickers placed in the windows of children’s rooms, in case of a house fire. It also comes with a transparent window sticker. Basically, you can ensure that there is no excuse for an EMT to not know that you have MyRapidMD.

You can have your ESP sent to as many cell phones as you want. This is an especially attractive feature for those who have business and personal cellphones. You also get a text message reminder every 90 days to update your information.

Actually useful mobile content

I’m not going to sit here and disparage ringtones and games. However, they’re entertainment features. While nice, they do little beyond pleasantly distracting and engaging us. So if you’re spending money on these features, you might want to consider MyRapidMD. Or at least that’s the message of Richard Cole, chairman of the MyRapidMD Emergency Services Advisory Board:

“Time and qualify information are your best hope for survival in an emergency. ESP just makes too much sense; a ringtone, movie, or game on your cellphone is not going to help me save the life if your child, your senior parent, or you in an emergency or accident.”

Supported phones and providers

Unfortunately, not every phone and provider support the MyRapidMD application. They start with a disclaimer on their website: “This is a subscription service and currently available only to Internet-enabled, SMS-enabled (short message service), Java (J2ME) capable phones. Phones with web email capabilities may NOT be fully Internet enabled and may require an upgrade in your provider’s service plan to receive the MyRapidMD ESP application. Please check with your service provider.”

You can go to their support page to find out if your particular phone or provider is compatible. For Verizon customers with Get It Now, you currently won’t be able to use MyRapidMD. Same goes for the iPhone. But Verizon users with BlackBerrys should be eligible.

You can subscribe to MyRapidMD on an individual or family basis. For individuals, the subscription is $19.95 for the first year, with a $5.95 annual renewal fee. For families, the first year is $59.95, with the renewal being $19.95. This covers up to four phones. For each additional phone, the initial set-up is $14.95, with a $4.95 renewal fee.

They claim that “for less than a nickel per day, your phone could save your life.” And it can. Yes, this is a vital service, and it should be free. Unfortunately, commerce doesn’t work like that. Hopefully, MyRapidMD can make inroads with carriers to make it a basic part of their service offering. That way, we can all have the same service in case of emergency.

The good news: MyRapidMD is offering free lifetime memberships for the first 1,000 people to use the code MRMD08CES when they sign up. So if you head to their signup page and enter the code (once again, MRMD08CES), you’ll get a free subscription for life.

Disclaimer: GoingCellular.com and MFE Interactive have no relationship with MyRapidMD whatsoever. While this piece might come off as a pitch for the service, it is not. I just believe that this is a valuable service.

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