Health Care Proxy &
In Massachusetts a Health Care Proxy is a document in which you name one or more persons to make health care decisions for you if you become incapacitated or otherwise unable to make them yourself. This is an important document, but one that is easy to produce. Be sure to convey your wishes to the person(s) you name so they can act as your agent, speaking on your behalf about your health care goals and deciding on treatments that you may or may not want.
The federal Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act limits the sharing of information about your medical records. A HIPAA Authorization allows access to your medical records by a person or persons you chose. Without this simple authorization form in place, even your spouse or other close family members may be refused access to your medical records. Decision-making may be difficult for them if they do not have access to information they need.