Pennsylvania Advance Directive: Complete Guide

A Pennsylvania advance directive is the umbrella term for two related documents authorized under 20 Pa.C.S. Chapter 54: a living will that states your wishes about end-of-life treatment, and a healthcare power of attorney that names someone to make medical decisions when you cannot. Most Pennsylvania residents need both.

What a living will covers

A Pennsylvania living will takes effect only if you have an end-stage medical condition or are permanently unconscious, as certified by two physicians. It tells your medical team — in advance — which interventions you want and don't want: ventilators, feeding tubes, CPR, dialysis, antibiotics, blood transfusions.

The point of the document is to take an impossible decision off your family's shoulders by making it yourself, in writing, while you can.

What a healthcare POA covers

A healthcare POA gives a named agent the authority to make medical decisions for you whenever you cannot — even temporarily (e.g., during surgery) and even when you do not yet meet the living-will threshold. This is the workhorse document for day-to-day medical decision-making.

For a deeper comparison see living will vs. healthcare POA.

Pennsylvania execution requirements

• The principal must be 18+ and of sound mind
• Two adult witnesses (the agent cannot be a witness)
• A notary is not required by statute but is strongly recommended for out-of-state hospital acceptance

What about a POLST?

A POLST (Pennsylvania Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) is a separate, physician-signed medical order that translates your wishes into actionable directions for first responders. It is appropriate for patients with serious or terminal illness — not as a substitute for an advance directive, but as a complement to it.

Why this can't wait

Hospitals in Pennsylvania routinely face families fighting over a parent's care because no advance directive exists. Without one, the default falls to a statutory order of priority of surrogates (spouse, adult children, parents, etc.) — and disagreement among that group can lead to court. A 30-minute conversation now prevents that entirely.