The Medical Power of Attorney and Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates are used to plan for situations when a patient can no longer speak for him/her self.
A Medical Power of Attorney (formerly a Health Care Power of Attorney) lets you appoint someone you trust to make decisions about your medical care if you cannot make those decisions yourself. The statutory form for a Medical Power of Attorney is set out in §166.164 of the Health and Safety Code and is a mandatory, not permissive form, as is the accompanying disclosure statement. The purpose of the disclosure statement is to provide information and understanding concerning the nature of the Medical Power of Attorney. Section 166.162 of the Health and Safety code states that a Medical Power of Attorney is not effective unless the principal, before executing the Medical Power of Attorney, signs a statement that the principal has received a disclosure statement and has read and understood its contents.
