The practice of medicine involves a lot of paperwork, and not just for doctors. Even if they’re already stacking piles of co-pay bills, benefits estimate statements and reminder cards for long-past ...

States generally allow a person (principal) to appoint another person (agent) to make health care decisions, receive protected health information, or both on the principal’s behalf. In many states, ...

Implementing advance care planning consults can increase advance directive completion rates. The authors demonstrate the impact of consults on completed advance directives in the medical record.

Learn how a psychiatric advance directive empowers you to dictate your treatment preferences and medication history before a crisis occurs.

An advance directive gives instructions on the kind of medical care you would like to receive should you become unable to express your wishes yourself, and it often designates someone to make medical ...

Two main types of advance directives are living wills and healthcare power of attorney. These are legal documents that outline a person’s preferences regarding major medical decisions. An advance ...

Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I am a Forbes.com Contributor specializing in geriatric health and women's health articles. End-of-life planning isn’t an easy ...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people unexpectedly needed critical care such as ventilators but were unable to communicate their end-of-life wishes to their loved ones. Researchers like me, who ...

What do you know about advance directives and end-of-life planning? When I ask this question, many tell me they have completed a will (for property) and have thought about their funeral arrangements.

In our last article, we shared about a friend’s court battle to become the legal medical decision-maker for her father who was suffering from cognitive decline. Although it was a necessary step to ...