Relating to advance directives or health care or treatment decisions made by or on behalf of patients.
By reinforcing the obligation of healthcare providers to adhere to patients' treatment wishes, HB2984 directly affects the legal and ethical landscape of healthcare in Texas. It mandates that life-sustaining treatment must be given despite disagreements between the patient and physician, which could help prevent premature denial of treatment. It also emphasizes the necessity for ethics or medical committee reviews when treatment decisions are contested, thereby promoting dialogue and protecting patient autonomy in healthcare settings.
House Bill 2984, known as the Patient and Family Treatment Choice Rights Act, aims to empower patients and their families regarding decisions surrounding life-sustaining treatment. The bill amends provisions in the Texas Advance Directives Act to ensure that when an attending physician is unwilling to comply with a patient's advance directive or treatment decision, life-sustaining treatment will continue to be administered. This is intended to safeguard patients' rights until a transfer to a willing healthcare provider can be arranged.
The most notable point of contention surrounding HB2984 is its potential to conflict with the professional judgment of attending physicians. Critics raise concerns that the bill forces physicians to provide treatment they may deem inappropriate or futile, which could result in ethical dilemmas. Additionally, the provision requiring life-sustaining treatment during the transfer process could lead to extended medical interventions in situations where the prognosis is poor and may not align with the patient's wishes.
The bill modifies sections of the Health and Safety Code, particularly those concerning how advance directives and treatment decisions are managed in a healthcare context. As a result, there is a clear delineation of patients' rights to life-sustaining treatment and the responsibilities of medical personnel, possibly leading to changes in how advance care planning is approached in Texas healthcare facilities.