Healthcare Power of Attorney in Unionville

Choose for availability as well as trust

Consider whether the person you name can be reached when needed, is willing to take on the role, and can understand and communicate your wishes. A person you trust may not be the most available choice; an alternate can help address that possibility. Tennessee’s Advance Directive for Health Care form includes an agent and an alternate, along with healthcare preferences.

Compare your options by asking who is likely to be reachable, who can speak for you in a difficult conversation, and whether each person understands your priorities. Discuss the choice with them rather than assuming they will know what you want.

Separate decision-making authority from information access

A healthcare power of attorney concerns authority to make healthcare decisions within the document’s scope. A HIPAA authorization concerns sharing protected health information. One does not automatically substitute for the other: an information-sharing authorization alone does not appoint someone to make healthcare decisions.

State law can make a person with healthcare authority a HIPAA personal representative. That means a separate authorization is not always necessary for an agent to access information. Consider what access you want and whether your documents and instructions work together, rather than treating a release as a substitute for naming an agent.

Prepare a one-page agent comparison

Before making or revising documents, write down your proposed agent and alternate, how to reach them, and the practical reason for each choice. Add a short list of healthcare preferences you want to discuss, plus any concern about whether an agent will be available or able to communicate those preferences.

Use the list to compare choices and identify questions. For example, if your first choice travels often, ask whether that affects your confidence in their availability and whether the alternate is someone you would also trust. This is a planning prompt, not a substitute for setting out preferences in the directive.

Coordinate documents and sharing instructions

Tennessee’s directive form addresses an agent or alternate and healthcare preferences, and includes instructions about signing and sharing copies. Review existing healthcare instructions alongside any HIPAA authorization so the documents serve distinct purposes without creating confusion about who may decide and who may receive information.

Dale Law Group, PLLC offers healthcare power of attorney planning and related advance healthcare directives and living wills, as well as HIPAA authorizations. The firm’s office is in Murfreesboro and serves Tennessee; Unionville is an unincorporated Census-designated place, not a separate city government. Contact the firm to discuss your agent choices and document coordination.

• Bring existing healthcare directives, powers of attorney, and HIPAA authorizations, if any.
• Note your preferred agent and alternate, their contact details, and the questions you want addressed.
• Ask how your healthcare decision-making documents and information-sharing instructions should fit together.