The Health Care Proxy is a simple legal document that enables you to name someone you know and trust to make health care decisions for you in the event that you become unable to make or communicate your decisions. This is an extremely important document because it concerns not only the choices you make about your health care, but also the relationships you have with your physician, family, and others who may be involved with your care.

The person you designate as your health care agent will have the legal authority to make all health care decisions for you, including life support treatments. He or she would have access to your medical records and would use them to make decisions. The Health Care Proxy law allows you to put limits on your agent’s authority, including specifying what types of medical care you want or would not want.

Be sure to discuss this decision with the people in your life whose judgment you value, including your doctor, and, of course, the person you want to name as your health care agent. We strongly recommend that you document your wishes about life support treatment (should it ever become necessary) and other decisions, in order to clarify critical decisions. You can name your health care agent simply by completing a Health Care Proxy form; the admitting department can provide you with one or you can ask your primary care nurse to bring you one.