Changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) privacy requirements will go into effect September 23, 2013. The new rule will enhance a patient’s privacy protections, provide individuals with new rights to their health information, and strengthen the government’s ability to enforce the law. See attached for more information.
Ride along: Take a rides with your parents and observe their physical ability in controlling the vehicle, staying within the lane, how turns are handled, the driving speed, ability to scan from left to right, any visual susceptibility to glare, and for any possible confusion in traffic. Check the vehicle: Periodically and without fanfare, check the outside of the car for any possible dents or scrapes. Accompany your parent at least once to every medical specialist and service or treatment center and, and have him or her sign a release of confidentiality (HIPPA) form. This will ensure that you are…
This is why seniors who have questions about Medicare and the new health law should contact their State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), usually located with the Department/Commission of Aging, for independent advice, and not slanted from the politician’s thirty second sound bite.
Frederick, MD 
301-663-9230