Breakfast: Health Care Directive - Unusual and Difficult Situations
HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVES - Unusual and Difficult Situations
Presenter Ann LaBree Russell, J.D., M.S.W
Health Care Directives are routinely offered to individuals upon admission to an acute care hospital or outpatient procedure center, provided by a primary care provider, or by attorneys as part of estate planning. Very often there is no accompanying guidance and the contents of the resulting documents vary dramatically from simply naming an agent to extensive statements of preferences with regard to specific interventions such as a ventilator and tube feeding. These directives often reflect a lack of medical knowledge and are often less useful than the principal hoped. Although drafted as preferences that must be followed by physicians, they also require that a physician interpret the document in the context of the current medical situation. Often the named agents have not spent time reviewing the document or engaged in clarifying conversations. The result can be disappointing or problematic.
The presentation will review Mn. Stat. 145C and its history and identify five situations in which poor drafting has resulted in confusion or conflict. It will also address the persistent problem of using Mn. Stat 523, the statute governing Power of Attorney as a health care directive. This document specifically states that it does not grant powers to make health care decisions and clarifies that this must be done in a document that is compliant with 145C.
CLE Credits Pending
Registration, Networking and Breakfast - 7:30 am
Speaker Begins - 8:00 am
Meeting Ends - 9:00 am
