Temporary Proxy Medical Decision-makers
The bill grants a supervising health-care provider or health-care facility the authority to identify and select a temporary proxy decision-maker (temporary proxy) to make emergency medical treatment decisions for an adult patient who has been determined, by the patient's attending physician, to lack decisional capacity to make informed consent to or refusal of medical treatments. The temporary proxy is to be utilized only in emergency circumstances when an otherwise legally authorized proxy decision-maker cannot be located. The bill outlines guidelines for selecting the temporary proxy and when the authority of the temporary proxy terminates.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)