Medical Powers of Attorney
Medical Powers of AttorneyMr.Tim Clare, a Lincoln Lawyer, discussed various legal aspects of end of life issues. He mentioned the new HIPAA rules that can keep medical information about another adult private from all but spouses. Mr. Clare suggested that we need to update our medical powers of attorney if we have not done it recently. He also mentioned a Lincoln company that will preserve this information and make it available electronically in case of an emergency. That company is Docsonfile. Their contact information is here.
DocsOnFile charges a one-time setup fee of $25.00 for an individual, or $40.00 for a couple. For this fee, DocsOnFile will upload the subscriber's emergency contact information (the names and contact data for those that should be contacted in the event of an emergency) and a copy of the durable power of attorney for health care, advance medical directives, living will, or similar document to be accessed in the event of an emergency; DocsOnFile will also provide the subscriber with an Emergency Medical Information card to be carried, with the User ID and Password selected by the subscriber. DocsOnFile can also place medical information (such as allergies or medical conditions that should be known by medical providers in an emergency) on the back of the Emergency Medical Card.
This information will remain available to anyone with the User ID and Password indefinitely. The Emergency Medical Information card will be replaced at a cost of $5.00. If the subscriber's emergency contact information changes and/or a new durable power of attorney for health care, advance medical directive, living will, or similar document is created, this new information will be uploaded at a cost of $5.00 as well. In other words, as long as the information does not change, the DocsOnFile service will continue at no additional charge. New cards will be issued and/or new documents uploaded for the additional cost of only $5.00 each.