How Does a Massachusetts Health Care Proxy Work?

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.

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