Advance Health Care Directives

An Advance Health Care Directive (AHCD) is a document that allows you to specify your health care preferences and appoint someone to carry out your wishes for you in the event you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to communicate. An AHCD allows you to inform your doctor, family and friends of your preferences regarding your medical care and treatment, including end-of-life decisions. By specifying your wishes in advance, you ensure the quality of life that is important to you and spare your loved ones from having to guess what your preferences would be, or force them to make difficult decisions at a time when they are emotionally distraught. If at some point you become incapacitated, a valid AHCD can eliminate the need for a conservator to be appointed to make decisions regarding your care and medical treatment.

California law requires certain provisions to be included in your AHCD and certain formalities to be followed in the execution of an AHCD, but there is no one single form required for a valid AHCD. An AHCD should designate a person to carry out your wishes (this person is referred to as your "agent") and may include provisions:

• Regarding life support or other life-prolonging measures
  
• Authorizing an autopsy
  
• Directing disposition of remains
  
• Nominating a conservator
  
• Naming a primary physician
  
• Specifying your wishes regarding organ donation
  

AHCD Replaces Earlier Forms of Health Care Directives
Effective July 1, 2000, California consolidated various earlier forms used to designate health care preferences into the AHCD; earlier forms of health care directives included the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, Natural Death Act Declaration, and the Directive to Physicians. The AHCD is sometimes referred to as a "Living Will" in other states.

If you have a valid Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care or other valid health care directive executed prior to July 1, 2000, the document can remain in effect. However, you may want to update your health care directive to specifically refer to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which regulates the use and disclosure of certain protected health information by doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. Some medical providers have misinterpreted the privacy rules of HIPAA and have withheld the release of patient information from the patient's family. Although the California Probate Code does not require the AHCD to specifically refer to HIPAA, many estate planning practitioners include a provision releasing the medical provider from liability under HIPAA for disclosure of protected information to the patient's health care agent and/or family.

Estate Planning Issues Require Experienced Legal Representation
If you need assistance with estate planning, contact the Casiano Law Firm for a complimentary telephone consultation with an experienced San Diego elder law and estate planning attorney.