Adamsky Law Offices Blog

            A new study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association , shows that when medical personnel know what kind of end-of-life care a patient wants, then the patient is more likely to be spared overly aggressive care and may die at home rather than in a hospital. The patient’s quality of life is usually better and they are more likely to get Hospice care. As a side benefit, the Medicare program saves over $5,000 per person when the individual has an Advanced Directive . Treatment at end-of-life accounts for more than 25% of Medicare expenditures.             Advanced Directives include: Health Care Proxies , Living Wills , and Powers of Attorney for Health Care . These documents let families and health care providers know what type of care a patient may want, and may allow a family member to make medical decisions for a patient who is incapable of expressing her wishes at the time of care. This is the most important planning tool that you can have and everyone