It is very important to INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center that your visit is a good one. One way we can insure your satisfaction is to make all necessary arrangements with your insurance company to appropriately notify them of your planned stay. To do this, we need information from you prior to your arrival. When you have a planned visit to an INTEGRIS Health facility, you may be contacted to “pre-register” for your service. If you have questions, please contact the Patient Access Center at 405-951-4703.
Oklahoma Notice to Patients
Required by the Patient Self-determination Act
This informs you what rights Oklahoma law gives you to make medical care decisions. After reading this, you may still have questions. If so, talk with your physician and other caregivers.
Who will talk to me about my medical care options?
Your doctor must talk with you, using words you can understand, about your medical care options.
Who decides what medical care I will get?
As a competent adult, you decide what medical care you will get. You have the right to accept, refuse or stop any medical care, including life-sustaining treatment.
What if I am not able to make my own decisions?
If you cannot make decisions about your own medical care, someone must make them for you. An advance directive is the best way to tell people what you want done. You can also say who you want to make decisions for you, if you can no longer decide for yourself.
What is an advance directive?
An advance directive is a written document you sign before you are unable to make your own decisions. You can use an advance directive to tell people ahead of time what medical care you want. You can also name the person you want to make medical decisions for you if you cannot make them yourself. Oklahoma law has four kinds of advance directives:
You may have one, two, three, or all four advance directives. If you do not have an advance directive but would like to complete one, please contact your nurse, who will arrange for someone to assist you in completing one.
What is a Living Will?
A living will is a document that allows you to state your choices about life-sustaining treatment in the event you are terminally ill or persistently unconscious. This is the only document that allows the withholding or withdrawal of nutrition and hydration.
What is a Health Care Proxy?
A health care proxy is a person you name in your living will to make medical decisions for you, including decisions about life-sustaining treatment. The health care proxy has no power to make decisions until you are certified as terminally ill or persistently unconscious.
What is a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care?
A durable power of attorney for health care is a written document in which you name the person you want to make routine medical decisions for you. This person can also make limited decisions about life-sustaining treatment if you expressly give the person that power. Oklahoma law requires a legal document separate from the living will, clearly stating the powers you want to grant to this person.
What is a DNR Consent?
A DNR consent form is a form signed by a competent adult person or the patient’s legal representative that authorizes withholding or withdrawal of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in case of cardiac or respiratory arrest. It is effective immediately when signed. You or your representative may also choose to limit only certain types of resuscitation, such as intubation, mechanical ventilation or administration of medicines. In Oklahoma, every person must receive full resuscitative efforts in the event of a cardiac or respiratory arrest, unless a DNR consent form has been signed by the patient or the patient’s legal representative or another legal exception applies. Without a DNR consent form or other legal document authorizing the withholding or withdrawal of CPR, your physician may only enter a DNR order when there is documented clear and convincing evidence from your family members, friends or others that you did not desire to have CPR, your physician determines that CPR would be futile or your death is imminent. Please direct any questions concerning resuscitation to your physician, nurse, chaplain or hospital social worker.
Should I have an Advance Directive?
Whether to have an advance directive is entirely your decision. One reason many people want an advance directive is to avoid a legal dispute about their care if they become ill and can’t make their wishes known. Signing an advance directive or, at the very least, talking about your medical care wishes with your loved ones, your doctors and others, before a medical crisis would be in your best interest.
Do I Need All Four Documents?
No. A living will lets you tell others your wishes about life-sustaining treatment if you become terminally ill or persistently unconscious or allows your health care proxy to make decisions about life-sustaining treatment according to your written wishes. The person you name in your durable power of attorney can make routine treatment decisions and limited life-sustaining treatment decisions for you if you are unable to do so. You may want to sign a living will, and appoint either a health care proxy or durable power of attorney. Most healthy adults do not sign a DNR consent form.
If I Sign an Advance Directive Now, Can I Change My Mind?
Yes. You can give new instructions by writing them down or telling someone. You can sign a new advance directive any time you want. In fact, you should review your advance directive at least once a year to be sure it still correctly states your wishes.
Can I be Sure My Instructions will be Followed?
If properly signed and consistent with Oklahoma law, your advance directive for health care is legally binding on your caregivers. If they cannot follow your directions, they will arrange to transfer your care to others who will.
What if I do not have an Advance Directive?
Without an advance directive, a legal guardian, if appointed by the court, will make medical decisions for you. If you do not have a court appointed legal guardian, your family, doctors and hospital can usually agree about medical care, except for decisions about withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.