What is a HIPAA Release?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) secures your protected health information—information related to your physical or mental conditions, healthcare you have received, and payments you have made for healthcare. Healthcare providers (such as doctors) and health plans (such as health insurers and Medicare), as well as other entities, are subject to HIPAA. They can only share your protected health information without your consent in certain situations, including to give you treatment, to get payment from you, and to respond to a court order.

You can also consent to having your protected health information shared. That is, you might want certain people, such as a family member or your agent with a power of attorney for healthcare, to access your protected health information so that they can help you make healthcare decisions or even make those decisions on your behalf.

If you appoint an agent via a power of attorney for healthcare, that agent will generally be able to receive your protected health information under HIPAA, without a standalone HIPAA release. However, if you want other people besides the agent to receive such information, you may need to sign a standalone HIPAA release.

Thickstun Luo LLC can help you create a HIPAA release to meet your estate planning needs. Contact us today for a consultation.

LEGALESE is an online blog by Thickstun Luo LLC. The blog explains legal terms and concepts in plain English.

Disclaimer: The LEGALESE blog and the posts therein do not form an attorney-client relationship between you and Thickstun Luo LLC. Furthermore, this blog is not intended to render legal advice regarding your specific situation. You should consult an attorney for specific legal advice. Some content in LEGALESE blog posts pertain to state-specific legal rules and concepts that may not be applicable in every jurisdiction.