Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare

A type of advance directive executed by a competent adult that appoints another individual to make medical treatment decisions on his or her behalf in the event that the person making the appointment loses decision-making capacity. The appointed surrogate is often referred to as the patient advocate, patient proxy, or patient representative. The laws governing the authority this individual does or does not have may vary from state to state and is dependent upon the specific instructions of the document.

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