Four Women Health Services Policies And Procedures printable pdf download

Four Women Health Services

Policies and Procedures

Title:

Advanced Directives and Living Will

Purpose:

To establish Four Women’s policy on honoring Advanced Directives for

patients seeking elective abortions

Policy:

Four Women recognizes the patient’s right to have Advanced Directives according to the

Federal and State of Massachusetts laws and statutes. Massachusetts does not recognize

living wills, but they do recognize Health Care Proxies.

Four Women also recognizes that the purpose of being an ambulatory surgery is to provide

elective surgical procedures to ASA Class I, II and stable III patients. Therefore, the Medical

Director and Governing Body have elected not to recognize and/or provide patient care

during the patient’s admission to the Four Women in accordance with the patient’s advanced

directives.

Patients and/or significant others will be provided information regarding the Four Women

policy on Advanced Directives and Health Care Proxy prior to the date of surgery. If it is

not possible to provide the information prior to entering the clinic, the patient will be given

the policy prior to initiating the check-in process.

Procedure:

Patients will be asked at the time of the Pre Op Telephone Call if they received the

Advanced Directives and if they have any questions and it will be documented on the intake.

Patients will be asked on admission if they have Advanced Directives in place and the

answer will be documented on the medical record. In addition, patients will be asked if they

received the Advanced Directives policy and procedure prior to admission and if they have

any questions.

If the patient does not have Advanced Directives, the patient will be offered limited

information regarding Advanced Directives and how they can obtain additional information.

Legal opinions will not be provided or offered by personnel and/or medical staff.

If the patient has a copy of the document (Advanced Directive), a copy will be made and

placed within the medical record in the event the patient is transferred to a tertiary care

facility. In addition, documentation will be made in a prominent place of the clinical record

whether or not the individual has executed an Advanced Directive.

The patient will be requested to sign a Release of Understanding (Advanced Directives) if

the patient and/or the patient’s authorized representative elects to continue with the surgery.

The executed Release of Understanding will be filed within the medical record.

If a patient refuses to sign the Release of Understanding, the Anesthesia provider and/or the

Surgeon will be notified and he/she will discuss with the patient the impact of the center’s

Four Women Health Services Policies And Procedures