Healthcare Proxies

A Healthcare Proxy is an advance medical directive in the form of a legal document that designates another person (a proxy) to make health care decisions in case a person is rendered incapable of making his/her wishes known. The authority becomes effective only when the patient becomes incapacitated.

A physician must certify that the person is incapable of making decision in their own best interests. The health care proxy has the same rights to request or refuse treatment that the person would have if he/she were capable of making and communicating decisions.