Advance Directive Send via USPS For Free

As long as you can still make your own decisions, your advance directive won't be used. You can change or cancel it at any time. Your health care agent will only make choices for you if you can't or don't want to decide for yourself.

There are two main types of advance directive the Living Will and the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. There are also hybrid documents which combine elements of the Living Will with those of the Durable Power of Attorney. A Living Will is the oldest type of health care advance directive.

An advance directive is a direction from the patient, not a medical order. In contrast, a POLST form consists of a set of medical orders that applies to a limited population of patients and addresses a limited number of critical medical decisions.

There are two main elements in an advance directivea living will and a durable power of attorney for health care. There are also other documents that can supplement your advance directive. You can choose which documents to create, depending on how you want decisions to be made.

It is good clinical practice to review a patient's POLST form when any of the following occur: The patient is transferred from one medical or residential setting to another; 2022 There is a significant change in the person's health status, or there is a new diagnosis; 2022 The patient's treatment preferences change.

The POLST form is completed by a patient's physician (or by someone who has undergone special training about POLST and who works with the patient's physician) in conjunction with thorough conversation with the patient regarding the patient's current and future health conditions and treatment preferences.

POLST was developed in response to seriously ill patients receiving medical treatments that were not consistent with their wishes. The goal of POLST is to provide a framework for healthcare professionals so they can provide the treatments patients DO want, and avoid those treatments that they DO NOT want.