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Medical Team

Legal
Health Care Documents

DocuBank Program

Many attorneys will provide you with health care documents, but what they don’t tell you is that even with today’s technology, these documents are usually not available when they are needed.

 

Hospitals are required by law to ask you for these documents when you’re admitted, and we want to make sure that you will have them with you. That’s why we provide you with this DocuBank Emergency Card.

 

This card makes sure your health care documents are available when they are needed, around the clock, every day, anywhere in the world. The instructions are right on the card. That makes it easy for you, the hospital staff, or your loved ones to use the card to get your documents and emergency information.

Read more about the DocuBank program here.

Oregon Legal Health Care Documents

In Oregon, there are multiple documents that are involved in the legal side of you health care. The two most common are the Oregon advance directive for health care, and the HIPAA authorization.

Oregon Advance Directive For Health Care

The Oregon advance directive for health care, also known as the advance directive, or a living will, is a statutory document (meaning set by the state), which allows Oregon residents to detail their wishes for end of life care. You may already have one of these documents, but it is important to know that the form changes every year, with the most recent version being released in 2021. If you have an older advance directive, it is still valid, but it can be helpful to keep it updated as each new form is released. 

The advance directive covers primarily decisions about tube feeding and life support, and only comes into play if and when you are no longer able to communicate your own medical decisions. In the document, you appoint a health care representative - the individual who will be responsible for carrying out your end of life health care choices.

Many of our clients tell us that they worry about giving such responsibility to their loved ones, but we can tell you that we have spoken to many individuals who have had to make those choices for their loved ones, both with and without the guidance of an advance directive. Without fail, people who had the wishes of their loved ones memorialized in an advance directive, felt a massive sense of relief to be able to make a call without a feeling of guilt, knowing that they were carrying out the true wishes of their loved one.

HIPAA Authorization

A HIPAA authorization is a document which allows the individual you name, the ability to communicate freely with your health care team regarding your health. We typically complete a HIPAA authorization as a companion to every Oregon Advance Directive for Health Care, because you want the individuals helping to carry out your end-of-life wishes to be fully informed of your health status prior to making any decision. 

It is important that medical privacy is waived to facilitate care in these situations. A HIPAA authorization can also be used to keep other loved ones informed while you are dealing with difficult health emergencies.

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