Health Care Agent Vs Medical Power Of Attorney

You should use this document to name a person as your health care agent if you are comfortable giving that person broad andsweeping powers to make health care decisions for you.

Health care agent vs medical power of attorney.

County of note. A health care proxy is one of two types of durable powers of attorney created for the purpose of carrying out medical treatment. The medical power of attorney is appointed by you in a legal document to make medical decisions for you 1 which indicates what course to take in specific medical circumstances. You can also designate an alternate should that person not be willing able or reasonably available.

A power of attorney may be more flexible since it s impossible to predict all the medical decisions that might come up in the future and spell out your exact preferences for all of these situations. A medical power of attorney or healthcare proxy designates an individual to make medical decisions for you when you no longer have the capacity to do so. In your state this person may also be called a health care proxy surrogate or attorney in fact most people name their spouse partner a relative or a close friend as their health care agent. Afterward the agent selected will be able to make health care decisions immediately after the principal is no longer able to make themselves.

As referenced above the medical power of attorney gives your agent the right to make medical and health care decisions for you. A special power of attorney is used only when it s necessary to define which financial powers are granted. As stated earlier the medical power of attorney takes effect when your attending physician certifies in writing that you are incapacitated and cannot make health care decisions for yourself. There is no legal requirement that anyone execute a health care power of attorney.

In a situation where a patient is unconscious or in a mental state where the ability to make a legal decision is no longer possible a person may be granted the authority to make medical decisions in accordance to. This may be. A health care proxy sometimes also referred to as a health care power of attorney grants someone the power to make medical decisions for mom if she is mentally incompetent unconscious or unable to make health care. Healthcare surrogate designation or medical power of attorney power of attorney for healthcare this document designates someone to make health care decisions for you see the link below for a definition.

The general poa is an entirely separate document and the courts do not automatically assume that if you designate a medical poa that this person should have any. When you make a durable power of attorney for health care the most important decision you will face is deciding who your health care agent should be.