A health care proxy grants someone authority to make medical decisions for you. A HIPAA release is different — it grants someone the right to simply see your medical information, even if they're not making decisions.
Why solo agers often need more than one HIPAA release
You might want your health care agent to have full access, but also want a close friend or neighbor to be able to get basic updates during a hospital stay without navigating hospital privacy staff. A HIPAA release can name multiple people with different levels of access.
Give copies of your HIPAA release to your primary doctor's office directly, not just to the people named on it — this speeds things up if there's ever a dispute at the front desk.
This article is general information, not legal advice. HIPAA release requirements can vary by provider — confirm your document meets your specific health system's requirements.