Health Care Advance Directives
It is a fundamental right to be able to make informed choices regarding your own health and treatment. As this can prove difficult in times of sickness and disability, it is vital to plan ahead so that friends, family, and healthcare providers know your wishes and your healthcare choices can be honored.
At TEPS LAW, LLC, we believe one of the most optimal ways for an individual to make their future healthcare wishes known is through a health care advance directive. Otherwise, should you become incapacitated, it may fall on your family to make the decisions regarding your health care. That’s a burden from which most of us would like to spare our loved ones.
Elements of Health Care Advance Directives
Health care advance directives allow your wishes to be known should you become incapacitated and unable to make your own decisions regarding your medical care. In Florida, Health care advance directives are governed by Chapter 765, Florida Statutes and consist of various legal documents, including those listed below.
Living Will
Should you develop a terminal or end-stage disease, or be in a persistent vegetative state, a living will advise those responsible for your care what your wishes are regarding life-prolonging procedures, such as the use of feeding tubes and respirators. The attending physician of the incapacitated person also needs to be made aware of the existence of the living will.
Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
A durable power of attorney for health care allows an individual to transfer decision making power regarding their health care to another person. Depending upon the desires of the person executing the durable power of attorney for health care, it may be broad or narrow in scope. The durable power of attorney for health care remains in effect as long as the executor is incapacitated.
HIPAA Release
HIPAA laws (Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996) govern the release of sensitive medical information. In order for your agents to have access to your medical information and thereby make informed decisions regarding your medical care, you will need to execute a HIPAA release.
Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNRO)
If you do not wish to be resuscitated in the event you suffer a cardiac or respiratory arrest, you and your physician should execute a DNRO. Without this document, health care professionals are duty-bound to perform CPR.
Anatomical Donation
An anatomical donation should be executed if you wish to donate any part of your body when you die. It can be used for donations to medical research as well as transplantation.
Contact Our Firm Today to Get Started
Contact TEPS LAW today to speak with an experienced health care advance directives attorney. Our knowledge of future planning can help ensure your treatment wishes are honored in the event you become incapacitated. Make your wishes known, contact us online or call us at (888) 401-6020 today to schedule an estate planning discovery session with our Florida health care directives lawyer.We offer virtual and telephonic consultations by appointment.