An advance directive is a witnessed document or oral statement in which instructions are given by an individual about how that individual wants medical decisions to be made, should they become unable to make their own decisions. A living will is a form of advance directive, leaving instructions for medical treatment desired should the individual become incapacitated. A durable power of attorney is another form of advance directive, leaving another person as the individual’s representative to make choices once the individual is unable to make decisions. All patients have the right to participate in their own health care decisions and to complete an advance directive to ensure their wishes will be honored regarding their health care treatment. A living will, health care surrogate, or durable power of attorney ensures a patient’s treatment decisions will be granted if the patient is unable to make these decisions. OSPINE Surgical Center respects each individual’s right to indicate their wishes in the form of an advance directive. However, unlike an acute care hospital setting, this surgery center does not routinely perform “high risk” procedures. Most procedures in this facility are considered to be elective and usually relatively lower risk than bigger surgeries performed at hospitals. You will discuss the specifics of your procedure with your physician who can answer your questions as to the potential risks, your expected outcome and recovery after your surgery. OSPINE Surgical Center respects the right of patients to make informed decisions regarding their care. OSPINE Surgical Center has adopted the position that an ambulatory surgery center setting is not the most appropriate setting for end of life decisions. Therefore, it is our policy, regardless of the contents of any advance directive or instructions from a health care surrogate or power of attorney, that if an adverse event occurs during your treatment at OSPINE Surgical Center, we will initiate resuscitative or other stabilizing measures and transfer you to an acute care hospital for further evaluation. At the acute care hospital, further treatment or withdrawal of treatment measures already initiated will be ordered in accordance with your wishes, advance directive or durable power of attorney. Your agreement with our policy at this facility does not revoke or invalidate any current advance directive. If for any reason you disagree with our policy regarding resuscitative measures, we will be glad to notify your physician that you wish to have your procedure rescheduled to another facility or hospital.

Before making a decision about advance directives you might want to consider additional options, further information can be provided upon request. To ensure that an incapacitated individual’s decisions about health care will be carried out, Florida has statutes and laws in place regarding advance directives. Florida statutes and state laws can be found online or in your local library.

The Florida legislature enacted legislation pertaining to health care advance directives (Chapter 765, Florida Statutes). The state rules that address this include 58A‐2.0232, 59A‐3.254, 59A‐4.106, 59A‐8.0245, and 59A‐12.013, Florida Administrative Code and Florida statute Title XLIV, Chapter 765.

 If you have an advance directive, living will, or durable power of attorney, please provide a copy of that document to our facility to be incorporated into your medical record.