Behavioral health practitioners are required to get a HIPAA medical release form in specific circumstances before they are allowed to divulge protected health information (PHI).
Your medical information is kept private. The HIPAA prohibits practitioners from disclosing any information about you without patient written consent. Please fill out the relevant medical release form to acquire a copy of your records.
What is a medical release form?
A medical release form is used to request that a health care provider release a patient’s medical records to the patient, a third party (such as an employer or insurance company), or both are possible options.
What to include in a HIPAA medical release form?
When designing a medical release form, it should be in easy language so that patients can understand it. In addition, patients must be allowed to evaluate the medical release form before signing it.
The medical release form must include the following information:
1. Patient Information:
The release form should ask for the patient’s information to clarify who the form is. Create forms that ask for the patient’s name, phone number, physical/mailing address, email address, date of birth, Social Security number (US), and any other identifying information you think is essential.
2. Receiving party’s information:
Ensure the patient or guardian specifies who has access to the medical records.
Some patients aren’t concerned about the privacy of their medical records and may wish to permit you to share them with anyone. That is something you should never do! Insist on specific authorization for each party, so there are no misunderstandings.
3. Information to be shared:
Tests, results, scans, photos, notes, prescriptions, allergies, and other forms of information should be checked off or listed by the patient. The patient can filter information by body part, condition, date, etc. Request that they are precise and comprehensive.
4. Purpose of the release:
The patient should explain why their medical records are being shared. These forms are necessary to avoid misunderstandings and the unintentional distribution of information. Typical alternatives include:
- Social Security number in the United States or personal health number in Canada
- Medical disability claim
- Insurance claim
- Workers compensation claim
- Information for a child’s school nurse
- College immunization notification
- Specialist consultation
5. Expiration of authorization:
This section allows the patient to indicate when the release form will expire. It’s a good idea to include a notation if a date isn’t specified. Often, when the patient isn’t sure what the treatment outcome will be or how long it will take, the form will expire after the default amount of time.
6. Disclaimers:
Disclaimers advise patients of the form’s intended usage and their rights. Make the patient aware that they are not obligated to reveal their information. Those have the right to cancel their consent at any moment. List any costs related to information copying and distribution.
7. Date and signature:
Finally, add a signature area and a date to your release form. Patients can sign online forms with an e-Signature if they utilize an online form.
If a personal representative is signing on behalf of the patient, covered entities must include a description of the representative’s relationship with the patient.
The rules for state medical release forms may differ from the federal HIPAA requirements. State laws that are more stringent than HIPAA must be followed by behavioral health practitioners working in that state.
Why is it important?
The HIPAA has standards to safeguard health information from being misused or exposed in an unauthorized manner. For example, HIPAA demands that anybody requesting access to your medical records have your consent.
Using a Medical Records Distribution Form helps keep your information private and prevents the release of medical records to unauthorized parties.
When is a medical release form required?
A HIPAA medical release form is necessary when PHI disclosures occur outside of the treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. For example, a HIPAA medical release form is required in the following situations:
- Before sharing protected health information (PHI) for research purposes.
- You can reveal any psychotherapy notes.
- Before any monetary advantage from the revelation or exchange of PHI.
How to create a medical release form with intelyForms?
Step 1: Create a new form-
You may start developing your form at any time by clicking the ‘Create New Form’ icon in the left-hand corner of your dashboard.
Step 2: Name your Form-
It’s a fundamental step. You may name all of your forms to create a more organized dashboard and make it easier to find the document you’re looking for at any time.
Step 3: Add drag and drop options with required fields-
You’re working with a primary and intuitive drag-and-drop method. You can create a variety of fields and customize them with questions that are relevant to your need. You’ll need to adjust the input field for fields like Name and Address etc.
Step 4: Add files upload field-
This option helps patients and doctors easily upload medical records and other test reports. Then, we can directly share records.
Step 5: Assemble your data-
At this point, you combine your medical release form with other valuable tools. Connect it to services like Google Calendar and Drive and more resources, and complete it.
Step 6: Save and publish –
All you have to do now is save your work by clicking ‘Save & Publish,’ then ‘Share,’ to embed the layout on your website. You can also share a link to the form with your patients and doctors.
Conclusion:
Do you need a HIPAA medical release form for your healthcare? No worries, intelyForms helps you create a medical release form according to your needs without any coding. IntelyForms is a no-code, best online form builder that can be embedded and integrated directly into your workflows.
Just drag and drop method, you can create a form with us. Schedule a demo with our support team and create your form to know more about creating a form.
