Planning ahead for your medical care is one of the most empowering steps you can take to ensure your wishes are respected, especially during times when you may not be able to speak for yourself. Two of the most important documents for this are your living will and health care power of attorney (also known as a health care proxy or advance directive). But once you’ve created them, what’s the next step?
Here’s a simple guide to getting your living will and health care power of attorney on file with your hospital so your care team can access them when it matters most.
What Are These Documents?
- Living will: A legal document that outlines your preferences for medical treatment if you’re ever unable to communicate. This may include decisions about life support, resuscitation and other interventions.
- Health care power of attorney (POA): A legal document where you designate someone (your “agent”) to make health care decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated.
When and How to Provide These Documents to the Hospital
- Bring them with you when you’re admitted
If you’re going to the hospital for a planned procedure, surgery or check-in:
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- Bring physical copies of your living will and health care POA with you.
- Give them to the admissions staff or nurse upon arrival. Let them know you’d like the documents scanned into your medical chart.
- Bring extra copies just in case – one for the hospital and one for your personal records.
- Make sure your designated health care agent’s contact information is up to date and easy to find on the document.
- If you’re already a patient or have a patient record on file
If you’ve been a patient at the hospital before and you’ve already set up a patient portal or medical chart:
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- Call the hospital’s medical records or Health Information Management (HIM) department and ask about the process to submit advance directive documents.
- You may be able to:
- Upload them through your patient portal
- Email or fax them directly to a secure number or address provided by the hospital
- Once submitted, the hospital will scan and store them in your electronic medical record, so they’re available to your care team during any future visits.
Why It Matters
Submitting your living will and health care POA ahead of time helps ensure:
- Your medical preferences are respected.
- Your designated decision-maker can step in when necessary.
- Your loved ones are relieved of difficult decisions during stressful times.
- Health care providers can act with clarity and confidence, aligned with your wishes.
Quick Tips
- Review and update your documents regularly – especially after major life changes.
- Notify your primary care physician and any specialists as well.
- Carry a wallet card indicating you have advance directives and who your health care agent is.
Taking a few minutes now to share these documents with your hospital can save time, confusion and stress later. Your voice deserves to be heard – make sure it’s in your chart.
Here are instructions for our local hospitals as a current patient:
- Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital
- Upload to MyChart: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/online-services/mychart
- HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital:
- Upload to MyHealthONE: https://shorturl.at/oBjLv
- Jupiter Medical Center:
- Upload to MyChart: https://shorturl.at/1o8PD
- Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center:
- Palm Beach Health Network: https://shorturl.at/Fpk5w