Doctors and hospitals are obligated to follow your Advance Health Care Directive. In order to follow it, your physician and hospital must be aware of it. It is up to you to ensure that everyone who might need a copy of your Advance Health Care Directive has one.
If emergency medical services are called to any location outside an acute care hospital (such as your home or health care facility), they are required to resuscitate and stabilize patients until safely in a hospital. If you do not wish to have cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), you must have a special "Pre-hospital Do-Not-Resuscitate" form. This form, which has to be signed by your doctor, protects you from having CPR.
Carry identification that includes where to easily obtain a copy of your Advance Health Care Directive.
Keep a ready copy of your Advance Health Care Directive at home along with a current list of medications and health conditions.
If you live in a skilled nursing facility or nursing home, the Long Term Care Ombudsman, or patient advocate, is required to witness your signature on your Advance Health Care Directive.
