What will you be talking about this Thanksgiving?

Dorothy’s daughter, Lilly, is away at college.*  Her first year, and 500 miles away. Dorothy is confident that her Lilly will make good choices and be a good student. Dorothy doesn’t worry about her daughter until, after Lilly is away just a month, she gets a phone call from her daughter’s roommate who tells her that there was a car accident and Lilly is in the local hospital with a head injury.  As her husband packs a bag to get on the road, Dorothy calls the hospital to find out what happened.

The nurse at the other end explains that she can’t give Dorothy any information because of HIPAA, (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which prohibits disclosing protected information to anyone other than a patient and the patient's authorized representatives. Lilly is not in a condition to take her call. 

Devastated and angry, Dorothy and her husband start on their long drive to see their daughter, who, after a few months, makes a full recovery.

When Lilly came home for Thanksgiving, the family discussed completing a healthcare proxy form.  This form gives someone such as Dorothy the right to get information and make medical decisions for Lilly, if Lilly can’t make them herself.  This form can be easily completed and kept in their wallet to be sure they can get information and make decisions for Lilly were this to happen again.

A healthcare proxy is not giving up your rights.  It is not turning over your bank account or your right to privacy.  It is giving permission for someone you trust to make decisions for you only if you can’t. 

This Thanksgiving when you’re together with your loved ones, tell them that you read an article about completing the healthcare proxy. Then go to www.TakeCHARGE.care and look at Step #1 to get the conversation started.  Step 1 - Take Charge

*Based on a true story.