Your right to informed choice about health care

The hospice programs of Hospice of Michigan, like most health care providers, respect the rights of their patients to make choices about their health care. Patients may choose among available treatments. They may also choose to withhold or stop treatment at any time. These choices are noted on the patient's medical record.

Problems sometimes arise when a person is unable to communicate choices because of an accident or illness. For example, if you were in a coma or terminally ill, would you want to prolong your life regardless of pain, chances for recovery and cost? Would you prefer to avoid life-prolonging measures if the chances for recovery were slim, knowing such a choice might hasten your death?

Advance directives give you a way to protect your rights in such cases. Advance directives let you decide now what type of treatment you do or do not want. They also enable you to appoint a surrogate who will make these decisions for you if you cannot.