Decide what access you want to allow
Start with the information-sharing task. You might want a trusted person to help communicate with healthcare providers, or you may want different people to receive information for different purposes. Consider whether the authorization should cover a broad range of health information or a narrower scope, and whether it should last for a set period or remain in effect until changed or revoked, as the document permits.
A wider authorization may make coordination easier, while a narrower one may better match your privacy preferences. There is no single scope or duration that fits everyone; connect those choices to the people you trust and the assistance you expect them to provide.
Keep information access separate from healthcare authority
An authorization to share information is not the same as a healthcare power of attorney or an advance healthcare directive. Those documents address healthcare decision-making authority and preferences. Under federal HIPAA guidance, state-law authority to make healthcare decisions can make someone a personal representative; a separate information-sharing authorization alone does not appoint that decision-maker.
Before preparing documents, identify each person’s intended role: receiving health information, making healthcare decisions if authorized, or both. Do not assume that every healthcare agent always needs a separate HIPAA authorization, or that permission to receive records gives someone authority to make decisions.
Prepare a one-page access plan
Before discussing an authorization, make a simple list with four columns: person’s name and contact details; information or providers they should be able to access; purpose or limits you want considered; and intended duration or review point. Add a note if the person is also named in a healthcare power of attorney or advance directive. This makes differences between information access and decision-making easier to spot.
Gather any existing healthcare power of attorney, advance directive, prior authorizations, and instructions you have received from providers about their forms or record-sharing process. Compare the names, roles, scope, and duration across documents, and flag any inconsistency or uncertainty for discussion.
Questions to resolve before signing
Ask who needs access, whether each person needs the same information, and whether any access should be limited or time-bound. Consider how you want the authorization to relate to your healthcare agent and any alternate named in an advance directive. Tennessee’s Advance Directive for Health Care form addresses an agent or alternate and healthcare preferences, and includes instructions about signing and sharing copies; those topics should not be confused with the separate question of information access.
Dale Law Group, PLLC, led by Carolyn D. Dale, offers HIPAA authorizations, healthcare powers of attorney, and advance healthcare directives. The firm’s office is in Murfreesboro and it serves clients across Tennessee; Pleasant View is in Cheatham County. For municipal information, the Town of Pleasant View website includes a “Doing Business” resource label, but it does not establish healthcare-record requirements.
Questions to bring to the discussion
Does a HIPAA authorization let someone make healthcare decisions for me?
No. An information-sharing authorization alone does not appoint a healthcare decision-maker. Healthcare decision-making authority is addressed separately, including through documents such as a healthcare power of attorney or advance directive.
Should I name the same person in my authorization and healthcare directive?
That depends on whom you trust and what access you want each person to have. Compare each person’s intended role, the information they may access, and the scope and duration you want. A healthcare agent’s authority and an authorization to share information are distinct.
Discuss your next step with Dale Law Group
Begin with a brief, non-confidential overview. The firm will discuss your needs and appointment arrangements.
General information, not advice for a particular situation. Sending an inquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship.
