What is the most important document that you need to help your loved one?
A HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) release form. This HIPAA release form allows you or whoever is designated to have access to medical information. Medical information comes from hospitals, labs, physicians’ offices, insurance companies, rehab facilities, therapy, pharmacy and anything else to do with medical issues.
Anyone over the age of 18 years old will need a signed HIPAA release form in order for someone else to have access to their medical information or to even receive any medical information on them from a medical provider.
So, if you do not have a signed HIPAA release form, the doctors cannot give you any information on the condition of your loved one. Insurance companies will not give you any information on the status of bills or anything else about the insured.
You will be stuck!
Talk about stress and frustration increasing by the minute.
It does not matter that you are related. It does not matter what you want or your loved one wants. You must have a HIPAA release form in place. So, get it done and get copies to regular providers, including insurance company. At the very least, have one signed and ready to use.
Call the medical providers to see if you need to sign their paperwork or you can provide your own.
You may be able to download a generic HIPAA release form online, make sure it is legal in your state.
Tennessee
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/human-services/hs/HS-2557_revised.pdf
**This does NOT work for banking information.**
