Medical Treatment Authorization
Establishing an Advance Directive
An Advance Directive is a legal document that helps ensure that your health care wishes will be respected should you not be able to make your own care decisions. It lets you decide the medical treatments you want and authorizes someone you know and trust to make decisions for you when you cannot do so.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma provides this information to help our members become informed health care consumers. Whether you fill out the form is strictly your choice and will not affect your health care coverage in any way.
Your use of this statutory advance directive form should be based on your personal health care situation and prior consultation with your physician and attorney, if needed. Nothing on this page should be considered as legal advice for an individual situation.
Guidelines for Completing an Advance Directive
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma encourages you to discuss your health and potential future health needs with your physician, members of your family and your appointed Health Care Proxy, a person who can make certain decisions on your behalf.
- Talk with your doctor about the kinds of treatment decisions you might need to make in the future.
- Complete the Advance Directive form
to identify the treatments you want and those you don’t and to appoint a Health Care Proxy. - Sign the advance directive in the presence of two witnesses who are 18 years or older and not named in your will or related to you. The witnesses also must sign the form.
- Make copies of your advance directive for your personal records, your family, your physician, your attorney, your Health Care Proxy and alternate Health Care Proxy. If your physician is unwilling to comply with the advance directive, the physician must tell you. The advance directive does not have to be filed with any official or office to be effective.
After you complete an advance directive, you may revoke it in whole or in part at any time and in any manner, without regard to your mental or physical condition. A revocation is effective upon your communication to your attending physician or other care provider or a witness to the revocation.
While Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma has made reasonable efforts to present the information contained on this site accurately, changes due to legal interpretation or law changes may not be reflected. The information provided should not be construed as providing legal advice. If legal advice or other professional assistance is required, professional services should be sought.
