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Intermountain Healthcare

Advance Care Planning

Advance care planning means thoughtfully considering a time when you may not be able to make healthcare decisions for yourself. This time may never come, but the thinking, sharing, and recording you have done will still be valuable. Advance care planning can help clarify your values and give you peace of mind, and put your loved ones at ease.

Advance Care Planning – for Utah
Advance Care Planning – for Idaho

How do I start the conversation?
Whether you're talking about your own wishes or trying to find out the wishes of someone close to you, getting started on a care-planning conversation can be difficult. Here's a guide to help:

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING — for Utah
Intermountain's Advance Care Planning booklet for Utah can help you with the planning process. The booklet includes legal forms used as part of advance care planning:

Advance Care Planning booklet for Utah

These are the legal documents most commonly used as part of the advance care planning.

UTAH	Forms	What it does...	When it takes effect...
This form can be filled out at any time.	Utah Advance Health Care Directive	This form allows you to: Identify the person you want to make halthcare decisions for you if you can't tak part in deciison-making. This person is your healthcare agent. Gives your healthcare agent or medical team the right to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatments in certain circumstances, which you can identify on the form.	The Utah Advance Health Care Directive takes effect when you can't make medical decisions for yourself for any reason.
This form is filled out in consultation with your medical team, usually in response to a specific healthcare threat.	Physician Order for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) *	Directs the medical team regarding the care and treatment you want provided or withheld. The POLST is transferable, meaning that the instructions apply no matter where you're cared for: hospital, home, skilled nursing facility, or hospice.	The POLST takes effect immediately, as soon as the order is completed and signed.

* NOTE: This document is only a sample copy; the form is filled out in consultation with your medical team.

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING — for Idaho
Intermountain's Advance Care Planning booklet for Idaho can help you with the planning process. The booklet includes legal forms used as part of advance care planning:

Advance Care Planning booklet for Idaho

These are the legal documents most commonly used as part of the advance care planning.

IDAHO	Forms	What it does...	When it takes effect...
This form is often filled out before you're faced with serious illness.	Living Will	Gives a medical team the right to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatments in certain circumstances.	You have a terminal illness and can't make decisions for yourself OR You are in a chronic vegetative state
This form is often filled out before you're faced with serious illness.	Special Power of Attorney	Identifies the person you want to make healthcare decisions for you if you can't take part in decision-making. The POA also gives that person (called your healthcare agent) the legal power to do so.	The POA takes effect when you can't make medical decisions for yourself for any reason.
This form is filled out in consultation with your medical team, usually in response to a specific healthcare threat.	Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (POST) Instructions *	Directs the medical team regarding the care and treatment you want provided or withheld. The POST is transferable, meaning that the instructions apply no matter where you're cared for: hospital, home, skilled nursing facility, or hospice.	The POST takes effect immediately, as soon as the order is completed and signed.
This form is filled out in consultation with your medical team, usually in response to a specific healthcare threat.	Medical Treatment Plan *	Directs the medical team regarding the care and treatment you want provided or withheld.	The Medical Treatment Plan takes effect immediately, as soon as the form is completed and signed.