Medical Power Of Attorney Replace Checkmark For Free

A medical power of attorney is a legal document that names one person the health care agent of another person. The agent has the ability to make health care decisions and the responsibility to make sure doctors and other medical personnel provide necessary and appropriate care according to the patient's wishes.

Your attorney-in-fact will need the original power of attorney document, signed and notarized, to act on your behalf.If you named more than one attorney-in-fact, give the original document to one of them. Between them, they will have to work out the best way to prove their authority.

Here are three important things you should know about health care advance directives.You retain the right to override the decisions or your representative, change the terms of your living will or POA, or completely revoke an advance directive.

Unless the power of attorney is to be used immediately, the original should always be retained by the principal in a safe place. The agent should be advised that he or she has been named as agent and should also be advised as to the location of the original and the number of originals that have been signed.

A power of attorney that does not include decisions related to health care in its scope would not authorize the holder to exercise the individual's rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, (as well as under state law).

A financial power of attorney authorizes an individual to make financial decisions, while a medical power of attorney allows for someone to make medical decisions.Financial and medical powers of attorney should be separate documents and can be designated to the same person or to two different individuals.

Have the revocation witnessed by a notary. Provide a copy of the revocation to their attorney-in-fact (and ask them to return any copies of the Power of Attorney)