THE FAMILY HEALTH FILES- Brought to you by privawell.net

Hosted by James and Claire, two voices who've navigated healthcare.

Moving countries is one of the most disorienting health experiences a family can have. New doctors, unfamiliar healthcare systems, paperwork in languages you're still learning — and a medical history that somehow never made it across the border with you. The Family Health Files is a practical podcast for expat families. Each episode tackles one part of the family health puzzle that nobody explains when you move abroad.

Episodes

  1. May 17

    EP. 10 — Chronic Conditions Across Borders: Managing Long-Term Health When You Keep Moving

    If you're managing a chronic condition — diabetes, asthma, a heart condition, a thyroid disorder — moving countries is a fundamentally different challenge than it is for someone in good health. You can't just restart. There's a baseline. There's a treatment history. There's a relationship with a specialist that took years to build. In this episode, James and Claire cover what a complete chronic condition record actually looks like (hint: it's your controlled values, not just your diagnosis), how to re-establish specialist care in a new country when referral pathways take weeks to months, how to bridge the medication supply gap without running out mid-move, what to do when a new doctor wants to start from scratch, and how to handle mental health conditions and therapy continuity across borders. Brought to you by PRIVAWELL — store your letters, test results, imaging reports, and medication history in one place, ready to share with any doctor, anywhere. privawell.net

    7 min

  2. May 17

    EP. 09 — Your Children's Health Abroad: Paediatric Care, Growth Charts, and What Gets Lost Between Systems

    Children's healthcare abroad catches expat parents off guard more than almost anything else. Adults can advocate for themselves. Children need someone to do it for them — in a system the parent is also still finding their feet in. In this episode, James and Claire cover how paediatric care is structured differently across countries (dedicated paediatrician versus GP-led, the German Gelbes Heft versus the UK red book), why growth charts don't transfer cleanly between systems and what to bring instead, what school entry health checks actually require and why you need to research this before you arrive, and how to prepare a portable health record for a child with ongoing needs — allergies, asthma, ADHD — that any doctor anywhere can understand. Brought to you by PRIVAWELL — build a complete, portable health record for your children at privawell.net

    6 min

  3. May 17

    EP. 08 — When Something Serious Happens: Navigating Hospitals and Specialists Abroad

    Most healthcare abroad is routine. But when something serious happens — a hospitalisation, a specialist diagnosis, a procedure that can't wait — the gaps in the system become much harder to manage. In this episode, James and Claire cover emergency versus planned serious care, how referral systems work differently across countries (and why bypassing them can cost you even with insurance), how to find the right specialist when you don't have years of local knowledge, and how to get a second opinion — including what records you need, in what format, and how to use a previous specialist abroad to open doors in a new country. Prepare before you need it. The middle of a crisis is not the time to start. Brought to you by PRIVAWELL — store your full medical history in one place, ready to share with any doctor, anywhere. privawell.net

    6 min

  4. May 17

    EP. 07 — Medical Insurance When You Live Abroad: What Expats Get Wrong

    Most expats have some form of health insurance when they move. The problem isn't a complete gap. The problem is assuming the policy does something it doesn't — and finding out at the worst possible moment. In this episode, James and Claire cover the four types of policy that catch expats out: employer plans that are local-only, travel policies masquerading as long-term cover, the EHIC and what it genuinely does and doesn't cover, and how pre-existing condition exclusions work — and why non-disclosure is one of the fastest ways to have a claim rejected. Plus the four things to compare when choosing an expat policy: inpatient versus outpatient cover, maternity, mental health, and dental. Know what your policy actually covers before you need it. Brought to you by PRIVAWELL — the family health vault built for life across borders. privawell.net

    6 min

  5. May 17

    EP. 06 — The First Appointment in a New Country: How to Walk In Prepared

    A new doctor has maybe fifteen minutes with you. They're not reading a decade of records in that window. They might scan the medication list, note the major diagnoses, and move on — and all the context that matters gets lost. In this episode, James and Claire explain why bringing the documents isn't enough, and how a one-page medical summary can do more for your first appointment than a folder full of files. What goes on it, how to write the one sentence of context that changes how a doctor reads each diagnosis, and how to handle the parts that feel harder to include — like mental health history. Prepare it before you move. It's work you do once, and it travels with you. Brought to you by PRIVAWELL — generate a doctor-ready summary of your family's health history at privawell.net

    7 min

  6. May 17

    EP. 05 — What to Pack When You're Not Packing a Suitcase

    Everyone remembers the moving boxes. Almost no one thinks about their medical records until they're sitting in a new country with a new doctor who has nothing to work with. In this episode, James and Claire cover exactly what to collect before you move: medications and current prescriptions, vaccination records, anything chronic, recent lab results and imaging, surgical history, and anaesthetic reactions. How to request your records in the right format, how long it legally takes in different countries, and why a paper copy is almost never enough when the new system can't read it. The key rule: start collecting before you leave, not after you arrive. Brought to you by PRIVAWELL — the family health vault built for life across borders. privawell.net

    8 min
  7. EP. 04 — Your Child's Vaccination Records: What You Need, What Gets Lost, and Why It Matters

    May 16

    EP. 04 — Your Child's Vaccination Records: What You Need, What Gets Lost, and Why It Matters

    Vaccination records are the medical document most likely to exist only on a small piece of card — and most likely to get lost in a move. When your child starts school in a new country and the admissions office asks for proof of vaccinations, "we had everything done, I'm sure of it" is not an acceptable answer. In this episode, James and Claire cover the vaccination records problem that catches expat parents by surprise: why the same vaccine may not count in a new country if the timing doesn't match the local schedule, why the yellow fever certificate is a legal travel document you should treat like a passport, and what to do before an international move to make sure your child's vaccination history goes with them. If you're moving with children this year, this one's worth a listen before the school enrolment forms arrive.

    8 min
  8. EP. 03 — Your Medications Don't Travel Well: Navigating Prescriptions Abroad

    May 16

    EP. 03 — Your Medications Don't Travel Well: Navigating Prescriptions Abroad

    The same medication can have ten different brand names across ten different countries. Some things you buy over the counter in Germany require a prescription in Australia. And if you're on a controlled substance — ADHD medication, anxiety medication, strong pain relief — moving countries can mean months without access if you don't plan ahead. In this episode, James and Claire cover the medications problem that catches expat families off guard: why brand names are meaningless across borders, what the INN is and why every family should know it, the controlled substances classification maze, and what to do before you move to make sure your family's medication history doesn't disappear into a system you no longer have access to. Brought to you by PRIVAWELL — store your prescription history once, show it to any doctor, anywhere.

    9 min
  9. EP. 02 — Your Family's Blood Test Results: What the Numbers Actually Mean

    May 16

    EP. 02 — Your Family's Blood Test Results: What the Numbers Actually Mean

    Blood test results come back as pages of numbers, abbreviations, and reference ranges — and the doctor has usually moved on before you've had time to ask a single question. In this episode, James and Claire break down the three panels that appear in most routine blood tests: the complete blood count, the metabolic panel, and the lipid panel. What each marker actually measures, what the numbers mean, and — critically for expat families — why the reference ranges on your Swiss lab report look completely different from the ones on your UK report for the same blood draw. The key rule: never compare raw numbers across countries or labs. Always compare against your own trend line.

    8 min
  10. EP. 01 — What Expats Wish They'd Known Before That First Appointment Abroad

    May 15

    EP. 01 — What Expats Wish They'd Known Before That First Appointment Abroad

    That first doctor's appointment in a new country is one of the most disorienting experiences of expat life. A system you don't understand, a doctor who doesn't know you, and a medical history you're trying to reconstruct from memory. In this first episode, James and Claire walk through the things most expats learn the hard way: why your medical history matters more when you move than when you stay, how healthcare systems differ in ways that catch people off guard, and the practical steps that make every appointment in a new country go better. If you've just moved, are about to move, or know someone who is — this is the episode to start with.

    9 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

Moving countries is one of the most disorienting health experiences a family can have. New doctors, unfamiliar healthcare systems, paperwork in languages you're still learning — and a medical history that somehow never made it across the border with you. The Family Health Files is a practical podcast for expat families. Each episode tackles one part of the family health puzzle that nobody explains when you move abroad.

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