A health care proxy is a document that gives someone you trust the legal authority to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so. There are a few things you should know about health care proxies in Massachusetts.
It only applies to medical decisions, not financial or legal decisions.
It does not take effect until a health care provider has noted in your medical record that you are not able to make decisions yourself.
The health care proxy itself does not have specific instructions about your wishes- you should discuss these with the person you designate as health care proxy to make sure they know what you want.
You should make sure your health care proxy has a copy of the signed document, and that you have some way of communicating that you have a health care proxy (for example, a card in your wallet) so that providers know who to contact in an emergency situation.
​Learn more here about health care proxies under Massachusetts law.​