Fifteen things you should know about new Maryland laws when making health care decisions

Recent dramatic changes to Maryland law regarding health care decision making for incapacitated patients will have significant impact on the role of physicians in making these decisions. On October 1, 1993, the newly passed Maryland Health Care Decision Act took effect, and revisions to state guardianship laws were implemented. The laws, which Governor Schaefer approved on May 11, 1993, modify existing statutory language pertaining to the four legal tools available for making health care decisions for a person when he or she becomes incapacitated: (1) living wills, (2) substituted consents for medical procedures, (3) health care power of attorney appointments, and (4) guardianship proceedings. This article summarizes 15 important points in these new or revised Maryland laws on health care decision making.