Term	Definition
Advance care planning	The process (rather than a single consultation or the signing of a statutory document) of discussing end-of-life care with the patient and developing a valid expression of the patient's wishes regarding future medical care. Advance care planning aims to improve the process of health care decision making and produce a better outcome of care.
Advance directive	A person's oral and written instructions about his or her future medical care, in the event he or she becomes unable to communicate. Each state has different regulations for the use of advance directives. There are two types of advance directives: a living will and a health care power of attorney.
Health care power of attorney	A document in which the patient appoints someone to make decisions about his or her medical care if he or she cannot make those decisions. This type of advance directive is sometimes called a health care proxy, durable power of attorney for health care decisions or appointment of a health care agent. The person appointed may be called a health care agent, surrogate, attorney-in-fact or proxy.
Living will	A written form of advance directive in which a patient's wishes regarding the administration of medical treatment are described if the patient becomes unable to communicate at the end of life. State law may define when the living will goes into effect and may limit the treatments to which the living will applies. The patient's right to accept or refuse treatment is protected by constitutional and common law. Living wills can be general or very specific.
Patient Self-Determination Act	The federal law that requires health care facilities receiving Medicaid and Medicare funds to inform patients of their right to execute advance directives. Both federal and state laws govern the use of advance directives. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws recognizing the use of advance directives.