Section 155.50. Duties and immunities.

 

(1)  No health care facility or health care provider may be charged with a crime, held civilly liable or charged with unprofessional conduct for any of the following:

(a) Certifying incapacity under s. 155.05 (2) , if the certification is made in good faith based on a thorough examination of the principal.

(b) Failing to comply with a power of attorney for health care instrument or the decision of a health care agent, except that failure of a physician to comply constitutes unprofessional conduct if the physician refuses or fails to make a good faith attempt to transfer the principal to another physician who will comply.

(c) Complying, in the absence of actual knowledge of a revocation, with the terms of a power of attorney for health care instrument that is in compliance with this chapter or the decision of a health care agent that is made under a power of attorney for health care that is in compliance with this chapter.

(d) Acting contrary to or failing to act on a revocation of a power of attorney for health care, unless the health care facility or health care provider has actual knowledge of the revocation.

(e) Failing to obtain the health care decision for a principal from the principal's health care agent, if the health care facility or health care provider has made a reasonable attempt to contact the health care agent and obtain the decision but has been unable to do so.

(2)  In the absence of actual notice to the contrary, a health care facility or health care provider may presume that a principal was authorized to execute the principal's power of attorney for health care under the requirements of this chapter and that the power of attorney for health care instrument is valid.

(3)  No health care agent may be charged with a crime or held civilly liable for making a decision in good faith under a power of attorney for health care instrument that is in compliance with this chapter. No health care agent who is not the spouse of the principal may be held personally liable for any goods or services purchased or contracted for under a power of attorney for health care instrument.

(4)   Subsections (1) , (2) , and (3) apply to acts or omissions in connection with a provision of a power of attorney for health care that is executed in another jurisdiction if the provision is valid and enforceable under s. 155.70 (10) .

1989 a. 200 ; 2003 a. 290 .