Privacy is a big deal in healthcare. Florida residents don’t want their information to get out to unauthorized parties for profit or any other reason. Moreover, you want to be in control of your care. This is where healthcare directives and HIPAA authorizations come into play.
Understanding a health directive
Doctors, clinics, and hospitals urge you to think about your healthcare before you get sick. How far do you want life-saving efforts to go? Would you be willing to live out your life in a vegetative state? If you’re not responsive, is it okay for your loved ones to let you participate in a medical trial?
Healthcare directives/HIPAA authorizations speaks for you while you’re still alive but can’t give consent. It’s easier on loved ones, because they won’t have to make the hard decisions about artificial feeding, resuscitation, and surgeries.
Incorporating a HIPAA authorization with your directives
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) seeks to avoid data breaches. It standardizes who may or may not receive details of your health information. For example, you have to give authorization before anyone can sell your health information.
Similarly, you must consent to the disclosure of substance abuse treatment details or psychotherapy findings for marketing. If you have a living will, you can incorporate with your healthcare directives selected HIPAA authorizations. This could be a good idea if you are taking medication for mental health conditions or to maintain sobriety.
Of course, you can make changes to any living will or HIPAA directive. Besides that, you can revoke them altogether. It’s probably a good idea to talk through these details with a lawyer who could help you make the best choices during this process.