As healthcare reform continues, patients will have more and more input into how their healthcare is managed. The patients voice is one of the key aspects of reform efforts. One effort that has come out of previous reform attempts is the use of advanced directives for patients. Advanced directives are very important in health care today as they protect both the patients and the healthcare staff. These directives allow the patient to share their wishes so in the event they are unable to communicate their wishes, we will know and honor them. Instructions Create an Advanced Directive form for your health care organization, specific to the state you reside in. Your first page will be a letter to the patient with an introduction outlining the purposes of Advanced Directives. The letter needs to include the reasons a patient should have advanced directives, the types of directives they can create and sign, and the three main parts to an advance directive as well as any state-specific information or requirements. The letter also needs to ensure that the patient understands how HIPAA is used for advanced directives and provide guidelines on the legal and non-legal considerations for the directive. You can use the following website for information and guidelines: http://www.caringinfo.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3289. Then create an actual Advanced Directive form for your organization. Remember that this assignment is for a patient so it should be in laymans terms and fully explain the process, considerations, and requirements.
