Appoint Your Medical Agent While You’re Healthy

Complete Versatility

A Healthcare Proxy is probably the most important legal document a person can have. If you have ever gone to the hospital with a serious condition you may have signed one and not even known it. The Healthcare Proxy is the document that appoints a family member or close friend to make healthcare decisions if you are unable to make them on your own. It also grants that person the right to get medical information which otherwise they are not allowed to receive. The medical staff wants to be sure they know who to speak with if you can’t communicate. The Healthcare Proxy, however, isn’t just an emergency document. It can be used by your agent to help make appointments, pick up medications, and talk to your doctor about your conditions. This is the go-to document for anyone responsible for an aging parent or other infirm family member. In this COVID 19 world that could be anyone.

Prior Authorization Required

Just because you are the parent, child or spouse of someone under the care of a doctor doesn’t mean the medical staff will give you information – in fact, the law says they can’t. People often learn this for the first time when a child goes off to college. A parent, who calls the infirmary to check on their sick child, will usually be told nothing. The child is now 18, an adult, and the law prevents the parent from receiving the information without authorization. The same is true when clients call the hospital to check on mom after an accident or illness – no authorization equals no information. Preparing the Healthcare Proxy in advance and letting your loved ones know where it is and how to use it is critical. Our firm routinely prepares these forms for our clients and we would be happy to help you as well. If you think you or someone in your family needs a Healthcare Proxy then call or email Legacy Trust and Wills. While the crisis continues, our attorneys are offering free, fifteen-minute, telephone consultations that may set your mind at ease.