If you ever face a health care emergency, there are three essential documents you’ll need:
Advance Health Care Directive (sometimes called a Medical Power of Attorney or Living Will)
POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), typically used for older adults or those with terminal conditions
HIPAA Release
Kaiser and other providers often hand these out, but you’d be surprised how many people come into my office with them only partially filled out—or worse, filed away in an “Estate Planning Binder” they’ve never even opened.
It’s shocking how often people end up in the hospital needing urgent care, without a Health Care Directive in place. When that happens, critical decisions need to be made—about treatment options, feeding tubes, ventilators, and more—but there’s no guidance. Doctors are left to guess, and families are left in turmoil.
HIPAA laws also limit what information medical staff can share with loved ones. When no one knows who should be making decisions, or what those decisions should be, the stress on families is immense. I’ve seen firsthand how painful it can be when loved ones disagree or have no idea what the patient would have wanted.
If you want to be prepared for a medical emergency and spare your family the trauma of guessing your wishes, give me a call. I’ll help make sure everything is in order.
