A medical power of attorney is needed to grant authority to a person to act as a healthcare agent on another person\’s behalf. This type of POA does not become effective until a physician files a statement validating the person is incompetent and unable to make medical decisions on their own.

Appointed agents for medical power of attorney ought to be someone that can be counted on to abide by decisions set forth in the document. The logical choice for most people is to designate a family member or close friend. However, agents can also be physicians, healthcare practitioners, or lawyers. Physicians cannot be in charge of a person\’s medical care and act as an agent as this could result in conflict of interest.

Creating a medical power of attorney form is a wise choice because it can help to eliminate burdens if the unthinkable happens. This document is often put into place when people are diagnosed with terminal illness and do not want any type of lifesaving treatments performed.

Oftentimes, people execute a medical POA prior to undergoing major surgery or invasive procedures. Individuals that have strong convictions about medical treatments they do not want to have, such as intravenous nutrition or life support, should give serious consideration to putting their decisions in writing.

If tragedy strikes and there is no medical POA available, physicians provide life saving treatments regardless of any beliefs a person may have. The only way to prevent this from occurring is to execute a legally binding power of attorney.

The process isn\’t difficult and typically takes less than an hour. Most people prefer using the services of a lawyer, but there are other options available. One option is to purchase do it yourself forms through office supply stores. Most physicians and healthcare facilities have preformatted forms that only require people to fill in the blanks. Furthermore, people can use legal service providers like LegalZoom to create documents online for a nominal fee.

It\’s a good idea to give careful consideration to the person who will act as the agent. This person must be of legal age and should be able to work well under stress. This position can be mentally and emotionally challenging, especially when agents are up against considerable opposition from relatives and healthcare professionals.

Agent responsibilities can be burdensome, so it\’s important to have a conversation with the individual that will be your representative. A good solution for helping agents understand the duties is to setup a consultation with a lawyer. At the very least, agents need to become familiar with responsibilities in order to act in your best interest.

It\’s helpful to openly discuss procedures or treatments that you do not want, as well as those you are willing to accept. Some people do not want to be placed on life support for extended periods of time. Others don\’t want to be fed intravenously if there is no hope for recovery.

While it can feel somewhat morbid to talk about these things, it\’s best to cover every possible scenario so that your agent knows what you do or don\’t want. Some people prefer to record the session to help agents recall their choices if ever needed.

It\’s not uncommon for medical choices to create conflict amongst family members. Irrespective of what relatives think agents are legally bound to abide by directives of the medical power of attorney. Agents must pass along decisions to healthcare professionals who need to comply with directives.

A medical POA gives agents a great deal of authority pertaining to healthcare treatments and services. Agents are authorized to give consent or reject treatments. They can also withdraw consent at a later time. They cannot have a person committed to a mental health facility or grant permission to conduct an abortion.

Establishing medical power of attorney rights is helpful to relatives because agents can assume their role once a physician files appropriate documentation. When there isn\’t a medical POA in place, family members have to appear in court before they have any say-so about treatments.

Simon Volkov is a California real estate investor that presents a thorough personal finance article library via his website. Discover how easy it is to setup a medical power of attorney and learn about other types of power of attorney forms at www.SimonVolkov.com.

Simon Volkov is a California real estate investor that presents a thorough personal finance article library via his website. Discover how easy it is to setup a medical power of attorney and learn about other types of power of attorney forms at http://www.SimonVolkov.com.

Author Bio: Simon Volkov is a California real estate investor that presents a thorough personal finance article library via his website. Discover how easy it is to setup a medical power of attorney and learn about other types of power of attorney forms at www.SimonVolkov.com.

Category: Legal
Keywords: medical power of attorney, power of attorney form, medical poa, power of attorney rights