What is a Health Care Decision Maker?
A health care decision maker is a person designated to make decisions with doctors or other health care providers on behalf of a patient who is no longer able to make his or her wishes known. You will be asked on admission to the hospital about health care decision makers and may designate a health care decision maker for yourself verbally by informing your nurse or physician. You may also designate a “health care decision maker” known as your “agent” with a Medical Power of Attorney or in your Living Will. If you do not choose a person to speak for you when you are unable, state law provides guidance for the hospital to choose a person known as a surrogate to act on your behalf. In adult medicine, a health care decision maker speaking on behalf of an incapacitated patient is asked to make decisions based upon the patient’s values, as they believe the patient would decide if able. In neonatal or pediatric medicine, a health care decision maker is asked to make decisions for a minor pat
Related Questions
- While in the hospital, if I did NOT prepare a living will or designate a health care agent who would be my "legal" decision maker if I were unable to make medical decisions?
- What if my Health Care Decision Maker requests treatments that my physician(s) believe is medically and/or ethically inappropriate?
- What is a Health Care Decision Maker?
