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A health care agent (also known as a health care proxy or attorney-in-fact) is someone you appoint to make medical decisions on your behalf when you're unable to make them yourself. You name this agent in a document called a "health care power of attorney."
Typically, people appoint a friend or family member to serve as their health care agent, but some don't have anyone willing and able to advocate for their medical wishes.
If you're one of those people and live in Ohio, consider hiring me as your health care agent. I'll make sure, to the best of my abilities, that your wishes are honored.
The Founder of HealthCarePOA, LLC
Hi, my name is Jason Chen, and I'm a medical ethicist with a PhD in philosophy.
I've worked as a patient advocate at The James Cancer Hospital and as a clinical bioethics fellow at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Additionally, I'm a regular participant in OSU's weekly ethics case conference, and I'm an advisory member of the OSU ethics committee.
I'm also a certified health care ethics consultant.
Why hire me?
There are a few reasons why you should hire me to be your professional health care agent:
First, I will document and store your explicitly stated wishes in a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform.
Second, unlike family members who are often too emotionally invested, I can be objective while making decisions according to your values.
And third, my clinical ethics experience means that I'm very familiar with complicated medical decision-making scenarios.
How does it work?
The first step is for me to get to know you as a person, which means we'll have an in-depth conversation about your values.
Some questions I'll ask you include the following:
If you were seriously ill or near the end of your life, how much medical treatment would you feel was right for you?
Do you have any specific wishes stemming from your religious beliefs?
What matters most to you? Being able to recognize your children? Being independent? Being able to spend time with the ones you love?
The next step is for you to fill out an advance directive, which includes a health care power of attorney and a living will.
A health care power of attorney is a document in which you name your health care agent. A living will is a document that outlines your wishes regarding medical treatment in the case you were to become permanently unconscious or terminally ill and unable to communicate.
You can download an Ohio advance directive packet here. The packet includes other documents you may wish to fill out, such as a donor registry form.
The final step is to give me and your doctor the completed advance directive, and to notify those in your life that you've named me as your health care agent.
Sometimes, conflicts occur due to uncertainty over who has the authority to make medical decisions for the patient. Notifying everyone who could potentially be involved can help avoid this problem.
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