Bill Text: IL SB0182 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Chaptered


Bill Title: Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall study the feasibility of creating a statewide registry of advance directives and Practitioner Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment forms. Amends the Illinois Living Will Act, the Health Care Surrogate Act, the Mental Health Treatment Preferences Declaration Act, and the Powers of Attorney for Health Care Law of the Illinois Power of Attorney Act. Provides that various types of documents may be in hard copy or electronic format. Provides that electronic declarations may be revoked, among other things, by deletion in a manner indicating the intention to revoke and in a manner that meets the requirements for a deletion by a provider deleting an entry in the electronic medical record. Provides that signature and execution requirements are satisfied by written signatures or initials and electronic signatures or computer-generated signature codes that meet the requirements for a signature by a provider making an entry into the electronic medical record. Provides that a person who enters information in an electronic system under the persona of the principal shall be held civilly liable. Makes conforming changes.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Passed) 2019-07-26 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0163 [SB0182 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SB0182-Chaptered.html



Public Act 101-0163
SB0182 EnrolledLRB101 04969 LNS 49978 b
AN ACT concerning civil law.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Purposes and construction. This Act shall be
construed consistently with what is reasonable under the
circumstances and to effectuate the following purposes:
(1) To enable an individual to easily document and share
the individual's advance care planning wishes.
(2) To facilitate electronic capture, transmission, and
storage of an individual's advance care planning wishes by
means of a reliable electronic solution.
(3) To facilitate and promote the sharing of an
individual's advance care planning wishes among care providers
by eliminating barriers resulting from paper documents
containing these wishes that are not easily transferred and
accessed, thus promoting the opportunity for the patient's
wishes to be known in all of the health care settings the
patient may encounter.
Section 5. The Electronic Commerce Security Act is amended
by changing Sections 5-115 and 5-120 as follows:
(5 ILCS 175/5-115)
Sec. 5-115. Electronic records.
(a) Where a rule of law requires information to be
"written" or "in writing", or provides for certain consequences
if it is not, an electronic record satisfies that rule of law.
(b) The provisions of this Section shall not apply:
(1) when its application would involve a construction
of a rule of law that is clearly inconsistent with the
manifest intent of the lawmaking body or repugnant to the
context of the same rule of law, provided that the mere
requirement that information be "in writing", "written",
or "printed" shall not by itself be sufficient to establish
such intent;
(2) to any rule of law governing the creation or
execution of a will or trust, living will, or healthcare
power of attorney; and
(3) to any record that serves as a unique and
transferable instrument of rights and obligations
including, without limitation, negotiable instruments and
other instruments of title wherein possession of the
instrument is deemed to confer title, unless an electronic
version of such record is created, stored, and transferred
in a manner that allows for the existence of only one
unique, identifiable, and unalterable original with the
functional attributes of an equivalent physical
instrument, that can be possessed by only one person, and
which cannot be copied except in a form that is readily
identifiable as a copy.
(Source: P.A. 90-759, eff. 7-1-99.)
(5 ILCS 175/5-120)
Sec. 5-120. Electronic signatures.
(a) Where a rule of law requires a signature, or provides
for certain consequences if a document is not signed, an
electronic signature satisfies that rule of law.
(a-5) In the course of exercising any permitting,
licensing, or other regulatory function, a municipality may
accept, but shall not require, documents with an electronic
signature, including, but not limited to, the technical
submissions of a design professional with an electronic
signature.
(b) An electronic signature may be proved in any manner,
including by showing that a procedure existed by which a party
must of necessity have executed a symbol or security procedure
for the purpose of verifying that an electronic record is that
of such party in order to proceed further with a transaction.
(c) The provisions of this Section shall not apply:
(1) when its application would involve a construction
of a rule of law that is clearly inconsistent with the
manifest intent of the lawmaking body or repugnant to the
context of the same rule of law, provided that the mere
requirement of a "signature" or that a record be "signed"
shall not by itself be sufficient to establish such intent;
(2) to any rule of law governing the creation or
execution of a will or trust, living will, or healthcare
power of attorney; and
(3) to any record that serves as a unique and
transferable instrument of rights and obligations
including, without limitation, negotiable instruments and
other instruments of title wherein possession of the
instrument is deemed to confer title, unless an electronic
version of such record is created, stored, and transferred
in a manner that allows for the existence of only one
unique, identifiable, and unalterable original with the
functional attributes of an equivalent physical
instrument, that can be possessed by only one person, and
which cannot be copied except in a form that is readily
identifiable as a copy.
(Source: P.A. 98-289, eff. 1-1-14.)
Section 10. The Department of Public Health Powers and
Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
amended by changing Section 2310-600 as follows:
(20 ILCS 2310/2310-600)
Sec. 2310-600. Advance directive information.
(a) The Department of Public Health shall prepare and
publish the summary of advance directives law, as required by
the federal Patient Self-Determination Act, and related forms.
Publication may be limited to the World Wide Web. The summary
required under this subsection (a) must include the Department
of Public Health Uniform POLST form.
(b) The Department of Public Health shall publish Spanish
language versions of the following:
(1) The statutory Living Will Declaration form.
(2) The Illinois Statutory Short Form Power of Attorney
for Health Care.
(3) The statutory Declaration of Mental Health
Treatment Form.
(4) The summary of advance directives law in Illinois.
(5) The Department of Public Health Uniform POLST form.
Publication may be limited to the World Wide Web.
(b-5) In consultation with a statewide professional
organization representing physicians licensed to practice
medicine in all its branches, statewide organizations
representing physician assistants, advanced practice
registered nurses, nursing homes, registered professional
nurses, and emergency medical systems, and a statewide
organization representing hospitals, the Department of Public
Health shall develop and publish a uniform form for
practitioner cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or
life-sustaining treatment orders that may be utilized in all
settings. The form shall meet the published minimum
requirements to nationally be considered a practitioner orders
for life-sustaining treatment form, or POLST, and may be
referred to as the Department of Public Health Uniform POLST
form. An electronic version of the Uniform POLST form under
this Act may be created, signed, or revoked electronically
using a generic, technology-neutral system in which each user
is assigned a unique identifier that is securely maintained and
in a manner that meets the regulatory requirements for a
digital or electronic signature. Compliance with the standards
defined in the Electronic Commerce Security Act or the
implementing rules of the Hospital Licensing Act for medical
record entry authentication for author validation of the
documentation, content accuracy, and completeness meets this
standard. This form does not replace a physician's or other
practitioner's authority to make a do-not-resuscitate (DNR)
order.
(b-10) In consultation with a statewide professional
organization representing physicians licensed to practice
medicine in all its branches, statewide organizations
representing physician assistants, advanced practice
registered nurses, nursing homes, registered professional
nurses, and emergency medical systems, a statewide bar
association, a national bar association with an Illinois
chapter that concentrates in elder and disability law, a
not-for-profit organ procurement organization that coordinates
organ and tissue donation, a statewide committee or group
responsible for stakeholder education about POLST issues, and a
statewide organization representing hospitals, the Department
of Public Health shall study the feasibility of creating a
statewide registry of advance directives and POLST forms. The
registry would allow residents of this State to submit the
forms and for the forms to be made available to health care
providers and professionals in a timely manner for the
provision of care or services. This study must be filed with
the General Assembly on or before January 1, 2021.
(c) (Blank).
(d) The Department of Public Health shall publish the
Department of Public Health Uniform POLST form reflecting the
changes made by this amendatory Act of the 98th General
Assembly no later than January 1, 2015.
(Source: P.A. 99-319, eff. 1-1-16; 99-581, eff. 1-1-17;
100-513, eff. 1-1-18.)
Section 15. The Illinois Living Will Act is amended by
changing Sections 2, 5, and 9 as follows:
(755 ILCS 35/2) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 702)
Sec. 2. Definitions:
(a) "Attending physician" means the physician selected by,
or assigned to, the patient who has primary responsibility for
the treatment and care of the patient.
(b) "Declaration" means a witnessed document in writing, in
a hard copy or electronic format, voluntarily executed by the
declarant in accordance with the requirements of Section 3.
(c) "Health-care provider" means a person who is licensed,
certified or otherwise authorized by the law of this State to
administer health care in the ordinary course of business or
practice of a profession.
(d) "Death delaying procedure" means any medical procedure
or intervention which, when applied to a qualified patient, in
the judgement of the attending physician would serve only to
postpone the moment of death. In appropriate circumstances,
such procedures include, but are not limited to, assisted
ventilation, artificial kidney treatments, intravenous feeding
or medication, blood transfusions, tube feeding and other
procedures of greater or lesser magnitude that serve only to
delay death. However, this Act does not affect the
responsibility of the attending physician or other health care
provider to provide treatment for a patient's comfort care or
alleviation of pain. Nutrition and hydration shall not be
withdrawn or withheld from a qualified patient if the
withdrawal or withholding would result in death solely from
dehydration or starvation rather than from the existing
terminal condition.
(e) "Person" means an individual, corporation, business
trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, government,
governmental subdivision or agency, or any other legal entity.
(f) "Physician" means a person licensed to practice
medicine in all its branches.
(g) "Qualified patient" means a patient who has executed a
declaration in accordance with this Act and who has been
diagnosed and verified in writing to be afflicted with a
terminal condition by his or her attending physician who has
personally examined the patient. A qualified patient has the
right to make decisions regarding death delaying procedures as
long as he or she is able to do so.
(h) "Terminal condition" means an incurable and
irreversible condition which is such that death is imminent and
the application of death delaying procedures serves only to
prolong the dying process.
(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)
(755 ILCS 35/5) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 705)
Sec. 5. Revocation. (a) A declaration may be revoked at any
time by the declarant, without regard to declarant's mental or
physical condition, by any of the following methods:
(1) By being obliterated, burnt, torn or otherwise
destroyed or defaced in a manner indicating intention to
cancel;
(2) By a written revocation of the declaration signed and
dated by the declarant or person acting at the direction of the
declarant, regardless of whether the written revocation is in
electronic or hard copy format; or
(3) By an a oral or any other expression of the intent to
revoke the declaration, in the presence of a witness 18 years
of age or older who signs and dates a writing confirming that
such expression of intent was made; or .
(4) For an electronic declaration, by deleting in a manner
indicating the intention to revoke. An electronic declaration
may be revoked electronically using a generic,
technology-neutral system in which each user is assigned a
unique identifier that is securely maintained and in a manner
that meets the regulatory requirements for a digital or
electronic signature. Compliance with the standards defined in
the Electronic Commerce Security Act or the implementing rules
of the Hospital Licensing Act for medical record entry
authentication for author validation of the documentation,
content accuracy, and completeness meets this standard.
(b) A revocation is effective upon communication to the
attending physician by the declarant or by another who
witnessed the revocation. The attending physician shall record
in the patient's medical record the time and date when and the
place where he or she received notification of the revocation.
(c) There shall be no criminal or civil liability on the
part of any person for failure to act upon a revocation made
pursuant to this Section unless that person has actual
knowledge of the revocation.
(Source: P.A. 85-860.)
(755 ILCS 35/9) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 709)
Sec. 9. General provisions. (a) The withholding or
withdrawal of death delaying procedures from a qualified
patient in accordance with the provisions of this Act shall
not, for any purpose, constitute a suicide.
(b) The making of a declaration pursuant to Section 3 shall
not affect in any manner the sale, procurement, or issuance of
any policy of life insurance, nor shall it be deemed to modify
the terms of an existing policy of life insurance. No policy of
life insurance shall be legally impaired or invalidated in any
manner by the withholding or withdrawal of death delaying
procedures from an insured qualified patient, notwithstanding
any term of the policy to the contrary.
(c) No physician, health care facility, or other health
care provider, and no health care service plan, health
maintenance organization, insurer issuing disability
insurance, self-insured employee employe welfare benefit plan,
nonprofit medical service corporation or mutual nonprofit
hospital service corporation shall require any person to
execute a declaration as a condition for being insured for, or
receiving, health care services.
(d) Nothing in this Act shall impair or supersede any legal
right or legal responsibility which any person may have to
effect the withholding or withdrawal of death delaying
procedures in any lawful manner. In such respect the provisions
of this Act are cumulative.
(e) This Act shall create no presumption concerning the
intention of an individual who has not executed a declaration
to consent to the use or withholding of death delaying
procedures in the event of a terminal condition.
(f) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to condone,
authorize or approve mercy killing or to permit any affirmative
or deliberate act or omission to end life other than to permit
the natural process of dying as provided in this Act.
(g) An instrument executed before the effective date of
this Act that substantially complies with subsection paragraph
(e) of Section 3 shall be given effect pursuant to the
provisions of this Act.
(h) A declaration executed in another state in compliance
with the law of that state or this State is validly executed
for purposes of this Act, and such declaration shall be applied
in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
(i) Documents, writings, forms, and copies referred to in
this Act may be in hard copy or electronic format. Nothing in
this Act is intended to prevent the population of a
declaration, document, writing, or form with electronic data.
Electronic documents under this Act may be created, signed, or
revoked electronically using a generic, technology-neutral
system in which each user is assigned a unique identifier that
is securely maintained and in a manner that meets the
regulatory requirements for a digital or electronic signature.
Compliance with the standards defined in the Electronic
Commerce Security Act or the implementing rules of the Hospital
Licensing Act for medical record entry authentication for
author validation of the documentation, content accuracy, and
completeness meets this standard.
(Source: P.A. 85-860.)
Section 20. The Health Care Surrogate Act is amended by
adding Section 70 as follows:
(755 ILCS 40/70 new)
Sec. 70. Format. The affidavit, medical record, documents,
and forms referred to in this Act may be in hard copy or
electronic format. Nothing in this Act is intended to prevent
the population of an affidavit, medical record, document, or
form with electronic data. A living will, mental health
treatment preferences declaration, practitioner orders for
life-sustaining treatment (POLST), or power of attorney for
health care that is populated with electronic data is
operative. Electronic documents under this Act may be created,
signed, or revoked electronically using a generic,
technology-neutral system in which each user is assigned a
unique identifier that is securely maintained and in a manner
that meets the regulatory requirements for a digital or
electronic signature. Compliance with the standards defined in
the Electronic Commerce Security Act or the implementing rules
of the Hospital Licensing Act for medical record entry
authentication for author validation of the documentation,
content accuracy, and completeness meets this standard.
Section 25. The Mental Health Treatment Preference
Declaration Act is amended by changing Sections 5, 20, and 50
and by adding Section 23 as follows:
(755 ILCS 43/5)
Sec. 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
(1) "Adult" shall have the same meaning as provided in
Section 10 of the Health Care Surrogate Act.
(2) "Attending physician" shall have the same meaning as
provided in Section 10 of the Healthcare Surrogate Act.
(3) "Attorney-in-fact" means an adult validly appointed
under this Act to make mental health treatment decisions for a
principal under a declaration for mental health treatment and
also means an alternative attorney-in-fact.
(4) "Declaration" means a document, in hard copy or
electronic format, making a declaration of preferences or
instructions regarding mental health treatment.
(5) "Incapable" means that, in the opinion of 2 physicians
or the court, a person's ability to receive and evaluate
information effectively or communicate decisions is impaired
to such an extent that the person currently lacks the capacity
to make mental health treatment decisions.
(6) "Mental Health Facility" shall have the same meaning as
provided in Section 1-114 of the Mental Health and
Developmental Disabilities Code.
(7) "Mental health treatment" means electroconvulsive
treatment, treatment of mental illness with psychotropic
medication, and admission to and retention in a mental health
facility for a period not to exceed 17 days for care or
treatment of mental illness.
(8) "Physician" means a physician or psychiatrist as
defined in Sections 1-120 and 1-121, respectively, of the
Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code.
(9) "Principal" means the person making a declaration for
his or her personal mental health treatment.
(10) "Provider" means any mental health facility or any
other person which is devoted in whole or part to providing
mental health services.
(Source: P.A. 89-439, eff. 6-1-96.)
(755 ILCS 43/20)
Sec. 20. Signatures required.
(a) A declaration is effective only if it is signed by the
principal, and 2 competent adult witnesses. The witnesses must
attest that the principal is known to them, signed the
declaration in their presence and appears to be of sound mind
and not under duress, fraud or undue influence. Persons
specified in Section 65 of this Act may not act as witnesses.
(b) The signature and execution requirements set forth in
this Act are satisfied by: (i) written signatures or initials;
or (ii) electronic signatures or computer-generated signature
codes. Electronic documents under this Act may be created,
signed, or revoked electronically using a generic,
technology-neutral system in which each user is assigned a
unique identifier that is securely maintained and in a manner
that meets the regulatory requirements for a digital or
electronic signature. Compliance with the standards defined in
the Electronic Commerce Security Act or the implementing rules
of the Hospital Licensing Act for medical record entry
authentication for author validation of the documentation,
content accuracy, and completeness meets this standard.
(Source: P.A. 89-439, eff. 6-1-96.)
(755 ILCS 43/23 new)
Sec. 23. Format. Documents, writings, and forms referred to
in this Act may be in hard copy or electronic format. Nothing
in this Act is intended to prevent the population of a
declaration, document, writing, or form with electronic data.
(755 ILCS 43/50)
Sec. 50. Revocation. A declaration may be revoked in whole
or in part by written statement at any time by the principal if
the principal is not incapable, regardless of whether the
written revocation is in an electronic or hard copy format. A
written statement of revocation is effective when signed by the
principal and a physician and the principal delivers the
revocation to the attending physician. An electronic
declaration may be revoked electronically using a generic,
technology-neutral system in which each user is assigned a
unique identifier that is securely maintained and in a manner
that meets the regulatory requirements for a digital or
electronic signature. Compliance with the standards defined in
the Electronic Commerce Security Act or the implementing rules
of the Hospital Licensing Act for medical record entry
authentication for author validation of the documentation,
content accuracy, and completeness meets this standard. The
attending physician shall note the revocation as part of the
principal's medical record.
(Source: P.A. 89-439, eff. 6-1-96.)
Section 30. The Illinois Power of Attorney Act is amended
by changing Sections 4-4, 4-6, 4-9, and 4-10 and by adding
Section 4-4.1 as follows:
(755 ILCS 45/4-4) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 804-4)
Sec. 4-4. Definitions. As used in this Article:
(a) "Attending physician" means the physician who has
primary responsibility at the time of reference for the
treatment and care of the patient.
(b) "Health care" means any care, treatment, service or
procedure to maintain, diagnose, treat or provide for the
patient's physical or mental health or personal care.
(c) "Health care agency" means an agency governing any type
of health care, anatomical gift, autopsy or disposition of
remains for and on behalf of a patient and refers, in either
hard copy or electronic format, to the power of attorney or
other written instrument defining the agency or the agency,
itself, as appropriate to the context.
(d) "Health care provider", "health care professional", or
"provider" means the attending physician and any other person
administering health care to the patient at the time of
reference who is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized
or permitted by law to administer health care in the ordinary
course of business or the practice of a profession, including
any person employed by or acting for any such authorized
person.
(e) "Patient" means the principal or, if the agency governs
health care for a minor child of the principal, then the child.
(e-5) "Health care agent" means an individual at least 18
years old designated by the principal to make health care
decisions of any type, including, but not limited to,
anatomical gift, autopsy, or disposition of remains for and on
behalf of the individual. A health care agent is a personal
representative under state and federal law. The health care
agent has the authority of a personal representative under both
state and federal law unless restricted specifically by the
health care agency.
(f) (Blank).
(g) (Blank).
(h) (Blank).
(Source: P.A. 98-1113, eff. 1-1-15.)
(755 ILCS 45/4-4.1 new)
Sec. 4-4.1. Format. Documents, writings, forms, and copies
referred to in this Article may be in hard copy or electronic
format. Nothing in this Article is intended to prevent the
population of a written instrument of a health care agency,
document, writing, or form with electronic data.
(755 ILCS 45/4-6) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 804-6)
Sec. 4-6. Revocation and amendment of health care agencies.
(a) Every health care agency may be revoked by the
principal at any time, without regard to the principal's mental
or physical condition, by any of the following methods:
1. By being obliterated, burnt, torn or otherwise destroyed
or defaced in a manner indicating intention to revoke;
2. By a written revocation of the agency signed and dated
by the principal or person acting at the direction of the
principal, regardless of whether the written revocation is in
an electronic or hard copy format; or
3. By an oral or any other expression of the intent to
revoke the agency in the presence of a witness 18 years of age
or older who signs and dates a writing confirming that such
expression of intent was made; or .
4. For an electronic health care agency, by deleting in a
manner indicating the intention to revoke. An electronic health
care agency may be revoked electronically using a generic,
technology-neutral system in which each user is assigned a
unique identifier that is securely maintained and in a manner
that meets the regulatory requirements for a digital or
electronic signature. Compliance with the standards defined in
the Electronic Commerce Security Act or the implementing rules
of the Hospital Licensing Act for medical record entry
authentication for author validation of the documentation,
content accuracy, and completeness meets this standard.
(b) Every health care agency may be amended at any time by
a written amendment signed and dated by the principal or person
acting at the direction of the principal.
(c) Any person, other than the agent, to whom a revocation
or amendment is communicated or delivered shall make all
reasonable efforts to inform the agent of that fact as promptly
as possible.
(Source: P.A. 85-701.)
(755 ILCS 45/4-9) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 804-9)
Sec. 4-9. Penalties. All persons shall be subject to the
following sanctions in relation to health care agencies, in
addition to all other sanctions applicable under any other law
or rule of professional conduct:
(a) Any person shall be civilly liable who, without the
principal's consent: (i) , wilfully conceals, cancels, or
alters a health care agency or any amendment or revocation of
the agency; (ii) or who falsifies or forges a health care
agency, amendment, or revocation; or (iii) enters information
in an electronic system under the persona of the principal.
(b) A person who falsifies or forges a health care agency,
enters information in an electronic system under the persona of
the principal, or wilfully conceals or withholds personal
knowledge of an amendment or revocation of a health care agency
with the intent to cause a withholding or withdrawal of
life-sustaining or death-delaying procedures contrary to the
intent of the principal and thereby, because of such act,
directly causes life-sustaining or death-delaying procedures
to be withheld or withdrawn and death to the patient to be
hastened shall be subject to prosecution for involuntary
manslaughter.
(c) Any person who requires or prevents execution of a
health care agency as a condition of insuring or providing any
type of health care services to the patient shall be civilly
liable and guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 85-701.)
(755 ILCS 45/4-10) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 804-10)
Sec. 4-10. Statutory short form power of attorney for
health care.
(a) The form prescribed in this Section (sometimes also
referred to in this Act as the "statutory health care power")
may be used to grant an agent powers with respect to the
principal's own health care; but the statutory health care
power is not intended to be exclusive nor to cover delegation
of a parent's power to control the health care of a minor
child, and no provision of this Article shall be construed to
invalidate or bar use by the principal of any other or
different form of power of attorney for health care.
Nonstatutory health care powers must be executed by the
principal, designate the agent and the agent's powers, and
comply with the limitations in Section 4-5 of this Article, but
they need not be witnessed or conform in any other respect to
the statutory health care power.
No specific format is required for the statutory health
care power of attorney other than the notice must precede the
form. The statutory health care power may be included in or
combined with any other form of power of attorney governing
property or other matters.
The signature and execution requirements set forth in this
Article are satisfied by: (i) written signatures or initials;
or (ii) electronic signatures or computer-generated signature
codes. Electronic documents under this Act may be created,
signed, or revoked electronically using a generic,
technology-neutral system in which each user is assigned a
unique identifier that is securely maintained and in a manner
that meets the regulatory requirements for a digital or
electronic signature. Compliance with the standards defined in
the Electronic Commerce Security Act or the implementing rules
of the Hospital Licensing Act for medical record entry
authentication for author validation of the documentation,
content accuracy, and completeness meets this standard.
(b) The Illinois Statutory Short Form Power of Attorney for
Health Care shall be substantially as follows:
NOTICE TO THE INDIVIDUAL SIGNING
THE POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH CARE
No one can predict when a serious illness or accident might
occur. When it does, you may need someone else to speak or make
health care decisions for you. If you plan now, you can
increase the chances that the medical treatment you get will be
the treatment you want.
In Illinois, you can choose someone to be your "health care
agent". Your agent is the person you trust to make health care
decisions for you if you are unable or do not want to make them
yourself. These decisions should be based on your personal
values and wishes.
It is important to put your choice of agent in writing. The
written form is often called an "advance directive". You may
use this form or another form, as long as it meets the legal
requirements of Illinois. There are many written and on-line
resources to guide you and your loved ones in having a
conversation about these issues. You may find it helpful to
look at these resources while thinking about and discussing
your advance directive.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS I WANT MY
HEALTH CARE AGENT TO KNOW?
The selection of your agent should be considered carefully,
as your agent will have the ultimate decision-making decision
making authority once this document goes into effect, in most
instances after you are no longer able to make your own
decisions. While the goal is for your agent to make decisions
in keeping with your preferences and in the majority of
circumstances that is what happens, please know that the law
does allow your agent to make decisions to direct or refuse
health care interventions or withdraw treatment. Your agent
will need to think about conversations you have had, your
personality, and how you handled important health care issues
in the past. Therefore, it is important to talk with your agent
and your family about such things as:
(i) What is most important to you in your life?
(ii) How important is it to you to avoid pain and
suffering?
(iii) If you had to choose, is it more important to you
to live as long as possible, or to avoid prolonged
suffering or disability?
(iv) Would you rather be at home or in a hospital for
the last days or weeks of your life?
(v) Do you have religious, spiritual, or cultural
beliefs that you want your agent and others to consider?
(vi) Do you wish to make a significant contribution to
medical science after your death through organ or whole
body donation?
(vii) Do you have an existing advance advanced
directive, such as a living will, that contains your
specific wishes about health care that is only delaying
your death? If you have another advance directive, make
sure to discuss with your agent the directive and the
treatment decisions contained within that outline your
preferences. Make sure that your agent agrees to honor the
wishes expressed in your advance directive.
WHAT KIND OF DECISIONS CAN MY AGENT MAKE?
If there is ever a period of time when your physician
determines that you cannot make your own health care decisions,
or if you do not want to make your own decisions, some of the
decisions your agent could make are to:
(i) talk with physicians and other health care
providers about your condition.
(ii) see medical records and approve who else can see
them.
(iii) give permission for medical tests, medicines,
surgery, or other treatments.
(iv) choose where you receive care and which physicians
and others provide it.
(v) decide to accept, withdraw, or decline treatments
designed to keep you alive if you are near death or not
likely to recover. You may choose to include guidelines
and/or restrictions to your agent's authority.
(vi) agree or decline to donate your organs or your
whole body if you have not already made this decision
yourself. This could include donation for transplant,
research, and/or education. You should let your agent know
whether you are registered as a donor in the First Person
Consent registry maintained by the Illinois Secretary of
State or whether you have agreed to donate your whole body
for medical research and/or education.
(vii) decide what to do with your remains after you
have died, if you have not already made plans.
(viii) talk with your other loved ones to help come to
a decision (but your designated agent will have the final
say over your other loved ones).
Your agent is not automatically responsible for your health
care expenses.
WHOM SHOULD I CHOOSE TO BE MY HEALTH CARE AGENT?
You can pick a family member, but you do not have to. Your
agent will have the responsibility to make medical treatment
decisions, even if other people close to you might urge a
different decision. The selection of your agent should be done
carefully, as he or she will have ultimate decision-making
authority for your treatment decisions once you are no longer
able to voice your preferences. Choose a family member, friend,
or other person who:
(i) is at least 18 years old;
(ii) knows you well;
(iii) you trust to do what is best for you and is
willing to carry out your wishes, even if he or she may not
agree with your wishes;
(iv) would be comfortable talking with and questioning
your physicians and other health care providers;
(v) would not be too upset to carry out your wishes if
you became very sick; and
(vi) can be there for you when you need it and is
willing to accept this important role.
WHAT IF MY AGENT IS NOT AVAILABLE OR IS
UNWILLING TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR ME?
If the person who is your first choice is unable to carry
out this role, then the second agent you chose will make the
decisions; if your second agent is not available, then the
third agent you chose will make the decisions. The second and
third agents are called your successor agents and they function
as back-up agents to your first choice agent and may act only
one at a time and in the order you list them.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I DO NOT
CHOOSE A HEALTH CARE AGENT?
If you become unable to make your own health care decisions
and have not named an agent in writing, your physician and
other health care providers will ask a family member, friend,
or guardian to make decisions for you. In Illinois, a law
directs which of these individuals will be consulted. In that
law, each of these individuals is called a "surrogate".
There are reasons why you may want to name an agent rather
than rely on a surrogate:
(i) The person or people listed by this law may not be
who you would want to make decisions for you.
(ii) Some family members or friends might not be able
or willing to make decisions as you would want them to.
(iii) Family members and friends may disagree with one
another about the best decisions.
(iv) Under some circumstances, a surrogate may not be
able to make the same kinds of decisions that an agent can
make.
WHAT IF THERE IS NO ONE AVAILABLE
WHOM I TRUST TO BE MY AGENT?
In this situation, it is especially important to talk to
your physician and other health care providers and create
written guidance about what you want or do not want, in case
you are ever critically ill and cannot express your own wishes.
You can complete a living will. You can also write your wishes
down and/or discuss them with your physician or other health
care provider and ask him or her to write it down in your
chart. You might also want to use written or on-line resources
to guide you through this process.
WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS FORM ONCE I COMPLETE IT?
Follow these instructions after you have completed the
form:
(i) Sign the form in front of a witness. See the form
for a list of who can and cannot witness it.
(ii) Ask the witness to sign it, too.
(iii) There is no need to have the form notarized.
(iv) Give a copy to your agent and to each of your
successor agents.
(v) Give another copy to your physician.
(vi) Take a copy with you when you go to the hospital.
(vii) Show it to your family and friends and others who
care for you.
WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND?
You may change your mind at any time. If you do, tell
someone who is at least 18 years old that you have changed your
mind, and/or destroy your document and any copies. If you wish,
fill out a new form and make sure everyone you gave the old
form to has a copy of the new one, including, but not limited
to, your agents and your physicians.
WHAT IF I DO NOT WANT TO USE THIS FORM?
In the event you do not want to use the Illinois statutory
form provided here, any document you complete must be executed
by you, designate an agent who is over 18 years of age and not
prohibited from serving as your agent, and state the agent's
powers, but it need not be witnessed or conform in any other
respect to the statutory health care power.
If you have questions about the use of any form, you may
want to consult your physician, other health care provider,
and/or an attorney.
MY POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH CARE
THIS POWER OF ATTORNEY REVOKES ALL PREVIOUS POWERS OF ATTORNEY
FOR HEALTH CARE. (You must sign this form and a witness must
also sign it before it is valid)
My name (Print your full name):..........
My address:..................................................
I WANT THE FOLLOWING PERSON TO BE MY HEALTH CARE AGENT
(an agent is your personal representative under state and
federal law):
(Agent name).................
(Agent address).............
(Agent phone number).........................................
(Please check box if applicable) .... If a guardian of my
person is to be appointed, I nominate the agent acting under
this power of attorney as guardian.
SUCCESSOR HEALTH CARE AGENT(S) (optional):
If the agent I selected is unable or does not want to make
health care decisions for me, then I request the person(s) I
name below to be my successor health care agent(s). Only one
person at a time can serve as my agent (add another page if you
want to add more successor agent names):
.....................
(Successor agent #1 name, address and phone number)
..........
(Successor agent #2 name, address and phone number)
MY AGENT CAN MAKE HEALTH CARE DECISIONS FOR ME, INCLUDING:
(i) Deciding to accept, withdraw or decline treatment
for any physical or mental condition of mine, including
life-and-death decisions.
(ii) Agreeing to admit me to or discharge me from any
hospital, home, or other institution, including a mental
health facility.
(iii) Having complete access to my medical and mental
health records, and sharing them with others as needed,
including after I die.
(iv) Carrying out the plans I have already made, or, if
I have not done so, making decisions about my body or
remains, including organ, tissue or whole body donation,
autopsy, cremation, and burial.
The above grant of power is intended to be as broad as
possible so that my agent will have the authority to make any
decision I could make to obtain or terminate any type of health
care, including withdrawal of nutrition and hydration and other
life-sustaining measures.
I AUTHORIZE MY AGENT TO (please check any one box):
.... Make decisions for me only when I cannot make them for
myself. The physician(s) taking care of me will determine
when I lack this ability.
(If no box is checked, then the box above shall be
implemented.) OR
.... Make decisions for me only when I cannot make them for
myself. The physician(s) taking care of me will determine
when I lack this ability. Starting now, for the purpose of
assisting me with my health care plans and decisions, my
agent shall have complete access to my medical and mental
health records, the authority to share them with others as
needed, and the complete ability to communicate with my
personal physician(s) and other health care providers,
including the ability to require an opinion of my physician
as to whether I lack the ability to make decisions for
myself. OR
.... Make decisions for me starting now and continuing
after I am no longer able to make them for myself. While I
am still able to make my own decisions, I can still do so
if I want to.
The subject of life-sustaining treatment is of particular
importance. Life-sustaining treatments may include tube
feedings or fluids through a tube, breathing machines, and CPR.
In general, in making decisions concerning life-sustaining
treatment, your agent is instructed to consider the relief of
suffering, the quality as well as the possible extension of
your life, and your previously expressed wishes. Your agent
will weigh the burdens versus benefits of proposed treatments
in making decisions on your behalf.
Additional statements concerning the withholding or
removal of life-sustaining treatment are described below.
These can serve as a guide for your agent when making decisions
for you. Ask your physician or health care provider if you have
any questions about these statements.
SELECT ONLY ONE STATEMENT BELOW THAT BEST EXPRESSES YOUR WISHES
(optional):
.... The quality of my life is more important than the
length of my life. If I am unconscious and my attending
physician believes, in accordance with reasonable medical
standards, that I will not wake up or recover my ability to
think, communicate with my family and friends, and
experience my surroundings, I do not want treatments to
prolong my life or delay my death, but I do want treatment
or care to make me comfortable and to relieve me of pain.
.... Staying alive is more important to me, no matter how
sick I am, how much I am suffering, the cost of the
procedures, or how unlikely my chances for recovery are. I
want my life to be prolonged to the greatest extent
possible in accordance with reasonable medical standards.
SPECIFIC LIMITATIONS TO MY AGENT'S DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY:
The above grant of power is intended to be as broad as
possible so that your agent will have the authority to make any
decision you could make to obtain or terminate any type of
health care. If you wish to limit the scope of your agent's
powers or prescribe special rules or limit the power to
authorize autopsy or dispose of remains, you may do so
specifically in this form.
..................................
..............................
My signature:..................
Today's date:................................................
HAVE YOUR WITNESS AGREE TO WHAT IS WRITTEN BELOW, AND THEN
COMPLETE THE SIGNATURE PORTION:
I am at least 18 years old. (check one of the options
below):
.... I saw the principal sign this document, or
.... the principal told me that the signature or mark on
the principal signature line is his or hers.
I am not the agent or successor agent(s) named in this
document. I am not related to the principal, the agent, or the
successor agent(s) by blood, marriage, or adoption. I am not
the principal's physician, advanced practice registered nurse,
dentist, podiatric physician, optometrist, psychologist, or a
relative of one of those individuals. I am not an owner or
operator (or the relative of an owner or operator) of the
health care facility where the principal is a patient or
resident.
Witness printed name:............
Witness address:..............
Witness signature:...............
Today's date:................................................
(c) The statutory short form power of attorney for health
care (the "statutory health care power") authorizes the agent
to make any and all health care decisions on behalf of the
principal which the principal could make if present and under
no disability, subject to any limitations on the granted powers
that appear on the face of the form, to be exercised in such
manner as the agent deems consistent with the intent and
desires of the principal. The agent will be under no duty to
exercise granted powers or to assume control of or
responsibility for the principal's health care; but when
granted powers are exercised, the agent will be required to use
due care to act for the benefit of the principal in accordance
with the terms of the statutory health care power and will be
liable for negligent exercise. The agent may act in person or
through others reasonably employed by the agent for that
purpose but may not delegate authority to make health care
decisions. The agent may sign and deliver all instruments,
negotiate and enter into all agreements and do all other acts
reasonably necessary to implement the exercise of the powers
granted to the agent. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, the statutory health care power shall include the
following powers, subject to any limitations appearing on the
face of the form:
(1) The agent is authorized to give consent to and
authorize or refuse, or to withhold or withdraw consent to,
any and all types of medical care, treatment or procedures
relating to the physical or mental health of the principal,
including any medication program, surgical procedures,
life-sustaining treatment or provision of food and fluids
for the principal.
(2) The agent is authorized to admit the principal to
or discharge the principal from any and all types of
hospitals, institutions, homes, residential or nursing
facilities, treatment centers and other health care
institutions providing personal care or treatment for any
type of physical or mental condition. The agent shall have
the same right to visit the principal in the hospital or
other institution as is granted to a spouse or adult child
of the principal, any rule of the institution to the
contrary notwithstanding.
(3) The agent is authorized to contract for any and all
types of health care services and facilities in the name of
and on behalf of the principal and to bind the principal to
pay for all such services and facilities, and to have and
exercise those powers over the principal's property as are
authorized under the statutory property power, to the
extent the agent deems necessary to pay health care costs;
and the agent shall not be personally liable for any
services or care contracted for on behalf of the principal.
(4) At the principal's expense and subject to
reasonable rules of the health care provider to prevent
disruption of the principal's health care, the agent shall
have the same right the principal has to examine and copy
and consent to disclosure of all the principal's medical
records that the agent deems relevant to the exercise of
the agent's powers, whether the records relate to mental
health or any other medical condition and whether they are
in the possession of or maintained by any physician,
psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, hospital, nursing
home or other health care provider. The authority under
this paragraph (4) applies to any information governed by
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of
1996 ("HIPAA") and regulations thereunder. The agent
serves as the principal's personal representative, as that
term is defined under HIPAA and regulations thereunder.
(5) The agent is authorized: to direct that an autopsy
be made pursuant to Section 2 of the Autopsy Act "An Act in
relation to autopsy of dead bodies", approved August 13,
1965, including all amendments; to make a disposition of
any part or all of the principal's body pursuant to the
Illinois Anatomical Gift Act, as now or hereafter amended;
and to direct the disposition of the principal's remains.
(6) At any time during which there is no executor or
administrator appointed for the principal's estate, the
agent is authorized to continue to pursue an application or
appeal for government benefits if those benefits were
applied for during the life of the principal.
(d) A physician may determine that the principal is unable
to make health care decisions for himself or herself only if
the principal lacks decisional capacity, as that term is
defined in Section 10 of the Health Care Surrogate Act.
(e) If the principal names the agent as a guardian on the
statutory short form, and if a court decides that the
appointment of a guardian will serve the principal's best
interests and welfare, the court shall appoint the agent to
serve without bond or security.
(Source: P.A. 99-328, eff. 1-1-16; 100-513, eff. 1-1-18;
revised 10-4-18.)
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