HIPAA Authorization
A HIPAA release form allows your loved one to access your medical records and communicate with your physicians for you if you are unable to do so. This form is based on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which was designed to aggressively protect your personal medical data.
Neglecting the importance of a HIPAA release form can be surprisingly burdensome. Medical providers cannot release information about your health to your parent, spouse, child or other trusted individual without this type of authorization.
Smarter Will™ provides a FREE HIPAA authorization form with both our Smarter Will Pack™ and Medical Directives Packs™.
While HIPPA authorization is important for all adults to consider, here are some scenarios in which a HIPAA release form can be critically important:
- College-age children should put a HIPAA release form (which includes a parent) on record with their campus health center and/or a primary care physician. Otherwise, the parent cannot easily access medical information or communicate with healthcare providers to help the child in an emergency.
- Those facing chronic or potentially debilitating health issues (including cancer , MS or Alzheimer’s disease) should use a HIPAA release form allowing a loved one to help out with medical decisions and maintenance care during times of possible temporary incapacitation.
- Seniors who are facing age-related illnesses or mobility issues should give HIPAA authorization to a child or caregiver to help with both day-to-day medical tasks (such as picking up /delivering medical files from physician or lab to another) and critical issues (such as discussing medical record information with a physician on the senior’s behalf).
