Bill > HB825

This bill introduces a new framework for health care proxy decision-making in Montana, primarily focusing on establishing a patient-designated "trusted decisionmaker" system. When a patient is admitted to a hospital, they can now designate a trusted individual to make health care decisions on their behalf if they lose decisional capacity, which must be documented by the attending health care provider and witnessed by a third party. The bill also establishes a clear hierarchy for selecting a decisionmaker when a patient cannot make their own medical decisions, prioritizing guardians, agents with medical power of attorney, the patient's designated trusted decisionmaker, spouse, adult children, parents, siblings, close friends, and other proxies, in that order. Additionally, the bill updates existing patient rights legislation to include the new trusted decisionmaker designation, ensuring that these newly designated individuals have the same rights and considerations as previous proxy decisionmakers. The changes aim to give patients more control over who makes medical decisions for them and provide a more structured, patient-centered approach to health care proxy selection when a patient is unable to make decisions for themselves.