National Healthcare Decisions Day

On the eve of National Healthcare Decisions Day, President Obama issued a memorandum that asked his administration, among other things, to:

Ensure that all hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid are in full compliance with regulations, codified at 42 CFR 482.13 and 42 CFR 489.102(a), promulgated to guarantee that all patients' advance directives, such as durable powers of attorney and health care proxies, are respected, and that patients' representatives otherwise have the right to make informed decisions regarding patients' care.

You may find the full Memorandum here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-hospital-visitation While this Memorandum was specifically directed at dealing with GLBT patient visitation issues, the reference to advance directives is important for all patients.