For Patients, Siouxland - Advance Directives

MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center will follow the medical treatment decisions you or your agent or advocate make after consulting with a physician, provided that your decisions meet accepted medical practice and current ethical standards. Our policy extends to withholding and withdrawing of medical treatment--for example, respirators, medically provided food or water or antibiotics. We will provide measures to treat pain and make patients comfortable, even if the decision is to withhold or withdraw other medical treatment.

An Advance Directive is a document that explains your wishes regarding treatment in case you are not able to make health care decisions.

Iowa law recognizes two kinds of Advance Directive documents:

A Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care is a document that allows you to name another person (called an agent or attorney-in-fact) to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to speak for yourself.  If your wishes are not known, your attorney-in-fact or agent must make decisions that are in your best interests.

A Living Will is a document that lets you tell your physician which life-sustaining procedures should be withheld or withdrawn if you have a terminal condition and are unable to speak for yourself.

Both documents take effect only when you cannot make health care decisions for yourself.  Both documents must be signed by you and two witnesses, or notarized.

We would be happy to provide you with the forms for either a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care or a Living Will. We will answer your questions, and help you to complete an Advance Directive, at no charge.  You can revoke (cancel) your Advance Directive at any time. Just inform your physician verbally or in writing, or ask a member of your health care team to do so.

It is the policy of MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center to respect the medical treatment decisions made by you or your agent as long as they are in accord with accepted medical practice and current ethical standards. This includes decisions made by you in an Advance Directive