Advance care planning allows you to make your voice heard so your wishes are followed. You can provide clarity and understanding among family members, your doctor and your health care team. Advance care planning involves these important steps:
Choose a health care agent – This person makes health care decisions for you if you are unable to make decisions for yourself.
Engage in conversations – Discuss your values and wishes about future health care with your health care agent, doctor and other important people in your life.
Complete a health care directive – This is a written plan for your future medical treatments.
If you do not have a written health care directive, you will still receive medical treatment. Your health care team will listen to what people close to you say about your treatment wishes.
Advance care planning for future health care choices is important to do while you are healthy and able to make your own decisions. We recommend adults 18 years and older start the advance care planning process. We also recommend you review and update your health care directive whenever you have a significant change in health status or life circumstances.
Before creating a health care directive, think about what matters most to you. There are no right or wrong answers. Begin by asking:
By writing a health care directive, you can:
Suitable for individuals who only wish to appoint a health care agent or those who simply prefer a short version.
Suitable for all individuals, but may be particularly helpful in cases of serious illness.
No matter your age or health, writing your wishes in a health care directive and choosing a health care agent are key to preparing for an unpredictable future. A health care directive is your written plan for future medical treatments. It’s also is the document in which you can identify someone to communicate your wishes if you are unable to do so – this person is your health care agent.
You may specify if, how and when you would want to:
You don’t need a lawyer to complete a health care directive, and you don’t have to use a specific form. However, to be legal, the document you create must:
A health care directive is the written plan you make for your future medical treatments. A health care directive also is the document in which you can identify someone to communicate your wishes if you are unable to do so – this person is your health care agent, also known as a power of attorney for health care. A health care directive describes the medical treatments and life-sustaining measures you would or would not want if you were unable to speak for yourself.
No. However, completing a health care directive helps to make sure your family and health care team follow your wishes. It is also valuable to have a quality conversation with the important people in your life about your values and goals for care across the continuum of life.
You must be 18 years old to create a health care directive. The document must:
You may be as specific or general as you wish. But specific statements can be useful to:
A health care agent is a person who will make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make or communicate decisions yourself. A health care agent makes sure your health care team follows what you specify in your health care directive.
Your health care agent should be someone that you know well and trust to follow your wishes, such as a family member or friend. Your health care agent cannot be your doctor or another member of your health care team, unless your doctor or health care team member is a family member or you give reasons for choosing this person in your health care directive.
Talking with your doctor about your health care wishes is important but not a legal requirement. Your doctor can check that your health care directive is clear and complete. Your doctor also can confirm if your health care team will follow your wishes.
Give copies of your signed health care directive to your health care agent, your doctor and health care team, family members and anyone else you want to know about your future health care wishes. Keep the original document easily available at your home.
If you wish to send your completed health care directive to your health care team by postal mail, you may send it to Health Information Management (HIM) wherever you receive your care.
Amery Hospital & Clinic and Westfields Hospital & Clinic
Westfields Hospital (Health Information Management)
535 Hospital Rd.
New Richmond, WI 54017
HealthPartners, Methodist, Park Nicollet, Regions and TRIA
Health Information Management (HIM)
3931 Louisiana Ave Ste W110
Mailstop: 71D01l
St Louis Park, MN 55426
Hudson Hospital & Clinic
Hudson Hospital (Health Information Management)
411 Stageline Rd.
Hudson, WI 54016
Hutchinson Health
Hutchinson Health (Health Information Management)
1095 Highway 15 S.
Hutchinson, MN 55350
Lakeview Hospital & HealthPartners Clinic Stillwater
Lakeview Hospital (Health Information Management)
927 Churchill St. W.
Stillwater, MN 55082
Olivia Hospital & Clinic
Health Information Management (HIM)
100 Healthy Way
Olivia, MN 56277
Your health care directive lasts until you change or cancel it – which you may do at any time. We recommend reviewing and updating your health care directive every few years or with a change in health or circumstance.