What you need to do...

1. Talk with your doctor about the treatment decisions you might need to make in the future. Remember, an advance directive is voluntary. You don’t have to have one to receive health care.  
2. Fill out the Patient’s Advance Directive form (PDF) in front of a witness. If you need to, you can write additional instructions on a piece of paper and attach it to the form. You don’t have to use our version of the form. You can also get advance directive forms from a local hospital or your attorney. You can use whichever version of the form you want. 
3. Choose your patient advocate, someone you trust to work with your doctors to make decisions about your health care in your place.  
4. Ask your patient advocate to accept their rights and responsibilities by signing the Acceptance by Patient Advocate form (PDF). 
5. Fill out the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care form (PDF) with your patient advocate and two witnesses. You don’t need a lawyer, but you may want to consult one. 
6. Give a copy of your advance directive to your doctor, your patient advocate, your lawyer and anyone else who might need to know about your health care decisions—for example, a spouse, a nursing home or a hospital. Keep a copy of your advance directive in a safe place where it can be easily found. Also, by giving a copy to your doctor, you’ve made your advance directive a part of your medical records. 

For more information about advance directives, talk to your doctor or call customer service at the number on the back of your subscriber ID card, also known as enrollee ID card.