What is a Medical Power of Attorney?
A medical durable power of attorney (or healthcare proxy) allows you to appoint a person you trust to act on your behalf as your healthcare agent (or surrogate decision maker). This is a person who is authorized to make medical decisions should you become unable to do so.. As with a living will, before it is possible for a a medical power of attorney to legally go into effect, a person’s physician must conclude that the patient is unable to make his/her own medical decisions. In addition, if it is determined that a person has ever regained the ability to make these types of decisions, the agent cannot legally continue to act on that person’s behalf. These documents are usually legally binding even when they come in conflict with the wishes of the individual’s immediate family.
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