By Kara Masterson
Each time you go to the doctor, a nurse hands you a pile of forms. While you probably go through them without thinking. One you should really pay attention to is called a HIPAA form. It is important to your privacy and to the access you and others have to your health information. Filling it our properly is important.
1. What is HIPAA?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) impacts both patients and care providers. To protect the privacy of your health information, this act requires providers to have your permission before giving your health care information to anyone else. The act also keeps group health plans from denying coverage for preexisting health conditions after 12-18 months.
2. Signing HIPAA Forms
At your Doctors, you will be given materials about HIPAA compliance to read and a form to sign. This form will stay with your chart and serve as evidence that you were given privacy information and that you understood it. Therefore, if you have any questions about your doctor’s policies or your rights, it is important to ask them.
3. Signing a Release of Information
The consents you sign are a part of the HIPAA process as well. They grant permission to your doctor’s office to give others information about your care and treatment. Without consent, your information cannot go anywhere, including your insurance company for payment, your loved ones, or to another doctor for follow-up care.
4. Who Should Be on a Release
Your primary care doctor should be included on releases whenever you see another doctor. This helps you avoiddangerous medication interactions or unnecessary duplicate treatments and tests. Test results should be released to the doctor who ordered them. Your insurance company will need a release for determining coverage and payments. In addition, an emergency contact should be on your releases, in case someone else needs to manage your health care or bills if you can’t. Insurance companies require a written release to discuss bills and other information with your loved ones if you are incapacitated. Make sure they have a release before a crisis strikes.
5. Pin Codes and Identifiers
If you or your designee need information, your doctor may provide a pin code or an ID number that you will need to access your information. Have the code or identifiers available when calling. Make them available to your emergency contact in case they are needed.
6. When Privacy is Violated
Under HIPAA, health care workers are not supposed to share your information with anyone else without your consent under most conditions. If you believe that your HIPAA rights were violated, you can file a complaint by going to hhs.gov. Fines and penalties are assessed against individuals and institutions that violate the law, and you may have the right to legal action against violators.
Remember, HIPAA is designed to protect your privacy. But it can also act as an obstruction to getting information where it needs to go for you, your loved ones and your doctor. Fill forms out with care to ensure that your information travels where needed, but not too far.
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