Method and apparatus for access to health data with portable media

A method and apparatus for managing electronic medical records is disclosed. One method for managing medical records includes defining a tiered hierarchy of medical record storage categories. A first tier may store electronic medical records for the individual and a second tier may store links to medical records not stored on the portable electronic storage device. Once a collection of electronic records related to an individual is defined, at least some of the records may be stored on a portable electronic storage device (such as a smartcard), according to the tiered hierarchy specified by the record categories.