| Are you aware of the medical privacy laws? | | | | conscience. You spouse can now authorize you |
| The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability | | | | with the doctors to allow you to know their |
| Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, the Privacy | | | | medical situation. |
| Rule, a Federal law, gives you rights over your | | | | HIPAA protection protects everyone over the |
| health information and sets rules and limits on who | | | | age 18 (your son or daughter even while in |
| can look at and receive your health information. | | | | college) from disclosing your medical information. |
| These laws definitely protect your privacy, but | | | | Please consider getting the appropriate paperwork |
| they can as well keep your family from getting | | | | in place before you your family members have a |
| medical information on you in the event of an | | | | condition that can because you stress during |
| emergency. Even a spouse or eighteen year old | | | | medical emergencies. Get a HIPAA disclosure |
| child, without proper paperwork in place can leave | | | | document executed on each family member at |
| you in the dark as far as their medical condition. | | | | minimum if they want to have you know about |
| An example of a situation would be a spouse | | | | their medical condition. |
| traveling on business to another city in the state, | | | | For a more complete protection there are three |
| with a three hour drive from your home. He gets | | | | documents that can be easily executed for each |
| in an auto accident on the way home and is | | | | family member that can properly protect your |
| transported unconscious to the nearest hospital | | | | family for most common situations. |
| and is being attended by the best medical | | | | 1. HIPAA Disclosure Document - Specifies who |
| personal. | | | | can be disclosed your medical information. |
| You are notified by the police that your spouse | | | | 2. Medical Power of Attorney - Specifies who can |
| has been taken to their local hospital. You are | | | | make medical decisions on your behalf. |
| very upset and want to know your spouse's | | | | 3. Living Will - Specifies your wishes regarding |
| condition; you call the hospital to ask what is | | | | prolonging life medical treatments |
| happening to him. The nurse in the hospital cannot | | | | The safe way to generate these three |
| release any medical information to you unless you | | | | documents is work with your family lawyer to |
| have a HIPAA disclosure document executed by | | | | have them drawn up properly for your state. |
| your spouse allowing you to know his medical | | | | Please keep an electronic copy of the executed |
| information. | | | | document in your email to ensure that you can |
| Now you are very nervous and you do not know | | | | get access to it when you need it or are not |
| anything about your spouse's condition. You decide | | | | prepared to use it. |
| to drive to the hospital, a three hour drive, and | | | | Avoid undue stress during an emergency, make |
| the entire drive you do not know anything that is | | | | sure you understand the HIPAA laws and prepare |
| going on. Fortunately, when you get to the | | | | your family to work with the laws by having your |
| hospital your spouse is out of surgery and | | | | documents in place. |