Circumventing Well-Meaning Bureaucracy

The new medical privacy laws not only require signing forms for every doctor's office, hospital and clinic that you frequent but can mean that without written authorization you cannot have access to your elderly parents' medical records and their doctors cannot discuss their cases with you.

To circumvent this well meaning bureaucracy get your aging parent to sign a power of attorney or appoint you as Health Care Co-ordinator so that you have access to their medical records.

Get the documents notified and make lots of copies--one for every doctor's office, hospital and clinic that your parent uses.

Make this "Parent Permission Slip" part of every medical file--before Crisis Time.