DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY
FOR HEALTH CARE
(Tennessee Code Annotated 34-6-203)
WARNING TO PERSON EXECUTING THIS DOCUMENT
This is an important legal Document. Before executing this document you should know these
important facts.
This document gives the person you designate as your agent (the attorney in fact) the power to
make health care decisions for you. Your agent must act consistently with your desires as stated
in this document.
Except as you otherwise specify in this document, this document gives your agent the power to
consent to your doctor not giving treatment or stopping treatment necessary to keep you alive.
Notwithstanding this document, you have the right to make medical and other health care
decisions for yourself so long as you can give informed consent with respect to the particular
decision. In addition, no treatment may be given to you over your objection, and health care
necessary to keep you alive may not be stopped or withheld if you object at the time.
This document gives your agent authority to consent, to refuse to consent, or to withdraw
consent to any care, treatment, service, or procedure to maintain, diagnose or treat a physical or
mental condition. This power is subject to any limitations that you include in this document.
You may state in this document any types of treatment that you do not desire. In addition, a
court can take away the power of your agent to make health care decisions for you if your agent:
(1) authorizes anything that is illegal; or (2) acts contrary to your desires as stated in this
document.
You have the right to revoke the authority of your agent by notifying your agent or your treating
physician, hospital or other health care provider orally or in writing of the revocation.
Your agent has the right to examine your medical records and to consent to their disclosure
unless you limit this right in this document.
Unless you otherwise specify in this document, this document gives your agent the power after
you die to: (1) authorize an autopsy; (2) donate your body or parts thereof for transplant or
therapeutic or educational or scientific purposes; and (3) direct the disposition of your remains.
If there is anything in this document that you do not understand, you should ask an attorney to
explain it to you.
(1) DESIGNATION OF HEALTH CARE AGENT
I, ____________________________________________________________ (insert your name and address)
do hereby designate and appoint: ____________________________________________________________
(insert name, address, and telephone number of one individual only as your agent to make
health care decisions for you. None of the following may be designated as your agent: (1) your
treating health care provider, (2) a nonrelative employee of your treating health care provider,
(3) an operator of a community care facility, or (4) a nonrelative employee of an operator of a
community care facility.) as my attorney in fact (agent) to make health care decisions for me as
authorized in this document. For the purposes of this document, "health care decision" means
consent, refusal of consent, or withdrawal of consent to any care, treatment, service, or procedure
to maintain, diagnose, or treat an individual's physical or mental condition.
(2) CREATION OF DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH CARE
By this document I intend to create a durable power of attorney for health care. This power of
attorney shall not be affected by my disability. I expressly reserve the right to revoke this power
of attorney at any time.
(3) GENERAL STATEMENT OF AUTHORITY GRANTED
Subject to any limitations in this document, I hereby grant to my agent full power and authority
to make health care decisions for me to the same extent that I could make such decisions for
myself if I had the capacity to do so. In exercising this authority, my agent shall make health care
decisions that are consistent with my desires as stated in this document or otherwise made known
to my agent, including, but not limited to, my desires concerning obtaining or refusing or
withdrawing life-prolonging care, treatment, services, and procedures.
INSPECTION AND DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION RELATING TO MY PHYSICAL OR
MENTAL HEALTH.
A. General Grant of Power and Authority. Subject to any limitations in this Directive, my agent
has the power and authority to do all of the following: (1) Request, review and receive any
information, verbal or written, regarding my physical or mental health including, but not limited
to, medical and hospital records; (2) Execute on my behalf any releases or other documents that
may be required in order to obtain this information; (3) Consent to the disclosure of this
information; and (4) Consent to the donation of any of my organs for medical purposes.
B. HIPAA Release Authority. My agent shall be treated as I would be with respect to my rights
regarding the use and disclosure of my individually identifiable health information or other
medical records. This release authority applies to any information governed by the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), 42 U.S.C. 1320d and 45 CFR
160 through 164. I authorize any physician, health care professional, dentist, health plan,
hospital, clinic, laboratory, pharmacy, or other covered health care provider, any insurance
company, and the Medical Information Bureau, Inc. or other health care clearinghouse that has
provided treatment or services to me, or that has paid for or is seeking payment from me for such
services, to give, disclose and release to my agent, without restriction, all of my individually
identifiable health information and medical records regarding any past, present or future medical
or mental health condition, including all information relating to the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS,
sexually transmitted diseases, mental illness, and drug or alcohol abuse. The authority given my
agent shall supersede any other agreement that I may have made with my health care providers to
restrict access to or disclosure of my individually identifiable health information. The authority
given my agent has no expiration date and shall expire only in the event that I revoke the
authority in writing and deliver it to my health care provider.
(If you want to limit the authority of your agent to make health care decisions for you, you can
state the limitations in paragraph (4) ("Statement of Desires, Special Provisions, and
Limitations") below. You can indicate your desires by including a statement of your desires in
the same paragraph.)
(4) STATEMENT OF DESIRES, SPECIAL PROVISIONS, AND LIMITATIONS
(Your agent must make health care decisions that are consistent with your known desires. You
can, but are not required to, state your desires in the space provided below. You should consider
whether you want to include a statement of your desires concerning life-prolonging care,
treatment, services, and procedures. You can also include a statement of your desires
concerning other matters relating to your health care. You can also make your desires known to
your agent by discussing your desires with your agent or by some other means. If there are any
types of treatment that you do not want to be used, you should state them in the space below. If
you want to limit in any other way the authority given your agent by this document, you should
state the limits in the space below. If you do not state any limits, your agent will have broad
powers to make health care decisions for you, except to the extent that there are limits provided
by law.)
In exercising the authority under this durable power of attorney for health care, my agent shall
act consistently with my desires as stated below and is subject to the special provisions and
limitations stated below:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
(a) Statement of desires concerning life-prolonging care, treatment, services, and
procedures:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(b) Additional statement of desires, special provisions, and limitations regarding health
care decisions:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(You may attach additional pages if you need more space to complete your statement. If you
attach additional pages, you must date and sign EACH of the additional pages at the same time
you date and sign this document.)
(5) INSPECTION AND DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION RELATING TO MY
PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH
Subject to any limitations in this document, my agent has the power and authority to do all of the
following:
(a) Request, review, and receive any information, verbal or written, regarding my
physical or mental health, including, but not limited to, medical and hospital records.
(b) Execute on my behalf any releases or other documents that may be required in order
to obtain this information.
(c) Consent to the disclosure of this information.
(If you want to limit the authority of your agent to receive and disclose information relating to
your health, you must state the limitations in paragraph (4) ("Statement of desires, special
provisions, and limitations") above.)
(6) SIGNING DOCUMENTS, WAIVERS, AND RELEASES
Where necessary to implement the health care decisions that my agent is authorized by this
document to make, my agent has the power and authority to execute on my behalf all of the
following:
(a) Documents titled or purporting to be a "Refusal to Permit Treatment" and "Leaving
Hospital Against Medical Advice."
(b) Any necessary waiver or release from liability required by a hospital or physician.
(7) DURATION
(Unless you specify a shorter period in the space below, this power of attorney will exist until it
is revoked.)
This durable power of attorney for health care expires on
__________________________________________
(Fill in this space ONLY if you want the authority of your agent to end on a specific date.)
(8) DESIGNATION OF ALTERNATE AGENTS
(You are not required to designate any alternate agents but you may do so. Any alternate agent
you designate will be able to make the same health care decisions as the agent you designated in
paragraph (1), above, in the event that agent is unable or ineligible to act as your agent. If the
agent you designated is your spouse, he or she becomes ineligible to act as your agent if your
marriage is dissolved.)
If the person designated as my agent in paragraph (1) is not available or becomes ineligible to act
as my agent to make a health care decision for me or loses the mental capacity to make health
care decisions for me, or if I revoke that person's appointment or authority to act as my agent to
make health care decisions for me, then I designate and appoint the following persons to serve as
my agent to make health care decisions for me as authorized in this document, such persons to
serve in the order listed below:
(A) First Alternate Agent (Insert name, address, and telephone number of first alternate agent.):
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(B) Second Alternate Agent (Insert name, address, and telephone number of second alternate
agent.)
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(9) PRIOR DESIGNATIONS REVOKED
I revoke any prior durable power of attorney for health care.
DATE AND SIGNATURE OF PRINCIPAL
(YOU MUST DATE AND SIGN THIS POWER OF ATTORNEY)
I sign my name to this Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care on
Date: ______________________________________________________________________
City: ______________________________________________________________________
State: ______________________________________________________________________
Signature: _____________________________________________________________________
I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of Tennessee that the person who signed this
document is personally known to me to be the principal; that the principal signed this durable
power of attorney in my presence; that the principal appears to be of sound mind and under no
duress, fraud or undue influence; that I am not the person appointed as attorney in fact by this
document; that I am not a health care provider, an employee of a health care provider, the
operator of a health care institution nor an employee of an operator of a health care institution;
that I am not related to the principal by blood, marriage, or adoption; that, to the best of my
knowledge, I do not, at the present time, have a claim against any portion of the estate of the
principal upon the principal's death; and that, to the best of my knowledge, I am not entitled to
any part of the estate of the principal upon the death of the principal under a will or codicil
thereto now existing, or by operation of law.
Witness: ______________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________
Witness: ______________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________
STATE OF TENNESSEE
COUNTY OF ________________________________
Subscribed, sworn to and acknowledged before me by ________________________________
the declarant, and subscribed and sworn to before me by
_____________________________________________________ and
__________________________________________________________, witnesses, this ______
day of ________________________________ , 20 ______ .
____________________________
Notary Public
My Commission Expires: _____________________