An Advance Health Care Directive lets you set out your preferences for medical decisions and designate someone to make choices on your behalf if you cannot. At the Law Offices of Robert P. Bergman, we assist Santa Ynez residents with drafting clear, legally sound directives that reflect personal values and medical wishes. This introduction explains what an Advance Health Care Directive covers, how it interacts with other estate planning documents, and why early planning avoids confusion during difficult times. We focus on practical guidance and careful document drafting so your instructions are followed and your chosen decision maker has the authority needed when it matters most.
Preparing an Advance Health Care Directive is not only about legal language; it is about communicating your medical treatment preferences to family and healthcare providers. Our approach emphasizes clear options for life-sustaining treatment, comfort care, and end-of-life decisions, while also naming a trusted agent to act when you cannot. We review how this document works together with a living will, HIPAA authorization, and powers of attorney to create a coordinated plan. This section outlines what to expect in the drafting process, timing considerations, and how to update the directive as circumstances or values change over time.
An Advance Health Care Directive provides clarity and direction during medical emergencies and serious illness, reducing uncertainty for family members and health care providers. It protects your ability to express treatment preferences when you are unable to speak, helps avoid disputes among loved ones, and guides physicians regarding life-sustaining measures, pain management, and comfort-focused care. Additionally, appointing a trusted agent ensures decisions are made by someone who understands your values. For residents of Santa Ynez, having a directive aligns with local medical systems and can prevent unnecessary hospitalization or contentious guardianship proceedings by demonstrating your clear instructions and designated decision maker.
The Law Offices of Robert P. Bergman serves clients across California with a focus on practical, personalized estate planning. Our team helps individuals and families in Santa Ynez create Advance Health Care Directives and comprehensive plans that include living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and health care authorizations. We prioritize clear communication, careful review of medical and personal preferences, and straightforward document preparation. By guiding clients through options and potential outcomes, we help ensure that written directives reflect true intentions and coordinate smoothly with other estate planning documents, making transitions easier for families facing medical decisions.
An Advance Health Care Directive is a legally recognized instrument that allows you to express treatment preferences and name a decision maker for medical care if you lose capacity. It typically covers choices about life-sustaining treatment, resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, tube feeding, and palliative care, and it may include instructions for organ donation. The directive works alongside a health care power of attorney and HIPAA authorization so your agent can access medical information and speak with providers. We explain the interaction between these documents and ensure language is clear, enforceable, and customized to reflect personal values and religious or cultural considerations.
When creating an Advance Health Care Directive, it is important to consider who will serve as your agent, what limits or guidance you want to place on decision making, and how to document preferences regarding specific medical interventions. We discuss scenarios that may alter choices, such as chronic conditions or progressive illness, and how to express conditional instructions for various outcomes. We also cover execution requirements under California law, how to distribute copies to physicians and family, and strategies for reviewing and updating the directive to remain consistent with changing health or personal circumstances.
A typical Advance Health Care Directive contains two parts: instructions and designation of an agent. Instructions state your preferences for different kinds of medical treatment and may include statements about life-support, resuscitation, pain relief, and organ donation. The designation names a trusted person to make health decisions on your behalf if you cannot. The directive can also include preferences for spiritual or comfort care, directions for hospice, and any limitations you want to impose on medical interventions. Clear phrasing helps providers interpret your wishes, and signing and distributing the document ensures it can be relied upon when decisions arise.
Drafting an Advance Health Care Directive involves choosing an agent, describing medical preferences, and making sure the document meets California formalities. We guide clients through identifying alternate agents, specifying acceptance or refusal of particular treatments, and including statements about pain management and comfort measures. Process steps include discussing medical scenarios, preparing the directive language, executing the document with required signatures or witnesses, and distributing copies to healthcare providers and family members. We also explain when to use a separate power of attorney for finances and how to coordinate all documents so they work together effectively.
Understanding common terms helps you make informed choices when preparing an Advance Health Care Directive. This section defines frequently used language so you are comfortable with terms like agent, incapacity, life-sustaining treatment, DNR orders, and HIPAA authorization. Clear definitions reduce misunderstanding between family members and medical teams and ensure your plan will be interpreted as intended. We provide plain-language explanations and examples to help you choose wording that expresses your values and medical preferences accurately, and to help the person you designate to act on your behalf understand their role and limits.
The agent, sometimes called a health care proxy, is the person you appoint to make medical decisions if you are unable to do so. Choosing an agent involves evaluating trustworthiness, availability, and willingness to follow your wishes. You can name primary and alternate agents and provide written guidance about particular treatments or circumstances where the agent should act in certain ways. The directive should clarify the agent’s authority, including access to medical records with a HIPAA authorization, and specify whether the agent’s decisions are to be followed strictly or guided by the stated preferences in the document.
Life-sustaining treatment refers to medical interventions that prolong life when a patient has limited or no chance of recovery, such as mechanical ventilation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and artificial nutrition or hydration. In an Advance Health Care Directive, you can accept, refuse, or place conditions on these treatments. Clear statements about goals of care, such as prioritizing comfort over prolonging life in certain circumstances, help healthcare teams and your agent make decisions consistent with your values. Including specific scenarios or examples in your directive reduces ambiguity and supports appropriate clinical decision making.
A HIPAA authorization permits your agent or designated individuals to access medical records and speak freely with health care providers. Without this authorization, privacy laws can limit information sharing and hinder decision making. Including a HIPAA release alongside your Advance Health Care Directive streamlines communication and ensures your agent has the documentation needed to make informed medical choices. The authorization typically names the persons permitted to receive information and can be tailored to cover particular providers or situations, reducing administrative hurdles when timely decisions are required.
A Do-Not-Resuscitate order means that cardiopulmonary resuscitation should not be performed in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest, and a Do-Not-Intubate order prevents placement of a breathing tube. These specific medical orders are typically issued by treating physicians and are sometimes referenced in an Advance Health Care Directive to reflect your wishes about resuscitation and mechanical ventilation. Discussing DNR and DNI preferences with your agent and medical providers ensures that your directive aligns with realistic treatment options and local medical practices when decisions must be made.
When planning for health care decisions, you can choose a straightforward Advance Health Care Directive or build a comprehensive estate plan that integrates living trusts, powers of attorney, and related documents. A simple directive provides immediate instructions and agent designation, while a comprehensive plan coordinates medical, financial, and property arrangements to reduce future conflict and administrative burdens. We explain the benefits and limitations of each approach, taking into account family dynamics, health status, and the need for ongoing management. This comparison helps clients decide how detailed their documentation should be and whether additional instruments will simplify future care and estate affairs.
A limited approach focused on an Advance Health Care Directive is often sufficient if your medical wishes are straightforward and you have a trusted individual available to serve as your agent. If you prefer basic instructions about life-sustaining treatment and pain management and you do not expect complex financial or guardianship issues, a single directive can be a practical first step. This option works well for individuals who want a clear, easy-to-execute document that communicates essential choices to providers and family without the broader coordination of trusts or advanced estate planning instruments.
A standalone directive may be appropriate when a person’s estate and family circumstances are uncomplicated and there is no need for complex asset management or guardianship planning. If assets are modest, beneficiaries are in agreement, and there are no anticipated disputes, a focused health care directive together with a simple will may address the most urgent concerns. This path provides clarity for medical decision making without the additional time and expense of a full estate plan, while still preserving the ability to expand planning later if circumstances change.
Comprehensive planning is advisable when family relationships, financial holdings, or health conditions introduce complexity. If there are blended families, minors, disabled beneficiaries, significant assets, or possible disputes among heirs, integrating an Advance Health Care Directive with trusts, wills, and powers of attorney reduces the likelihood of litigation and confusion. A coordinated plan clarifies both medical decisions and asset management, designates guardians for minors, and provides for long-term care or special needs. This approach helps families navigate both immediate medical choices and future estate administration with a consistent framework.
If you face chronic illness, progressive conditions, or a foreseeable need for long-term care, a comprehensive plan can protect both health decisions and financial resources. Combining an Advance Health Care Directive with instruments such as trust arrangements, powers of attorney, and long-term care planning provisions ensures both your medical wishes and financial affairs are coordinated. This planning can preserve assets for family or beneficiaries while assigning decision-making authority, minimizing the risk of guardianship or court intervention, and preparing for scenarios where ongoing medical and financial oversight will be required.
A comprehensive approach aligns health care directives with financial powers and estate planning documents to create a single, coherent plan. This coordination reduces the likelihood of conflicts, helps ensure your wishes are honored, and supports your agent with necessary legal authority and access to records. It can also ease the administrative burden on family members during stressful periods by providing clear instructions for both medical decisions and asset management, resulting in fewer disputes and smoother transitions when incapacity or end-of-life issues arise.
By integrating an Advance Health Care Directive into a broader estate plan, you can address contingencies that affect both health and property. Trusts can manage assets for beneficiaries, powers of attorney can enable seamless financial transactions, and health care directives provide medical decision-making guidance. The combined documents offer legal recognition of your preferences and allow your designated agents to act with confidence. This stability benefits families in Santa Ynez by reducing court involvement, preserving privacy, and ensuring that both immediate health choices and long-term estate matters reflect your intentions.
One key benefit of a comprehensive estate plan that includes an Advance Health Care Directive is the reduction of ambiguity that often leads to family disagreement. Written instructions and a named agent prevent misunderstandings about treatment preferences, while coordinated financial documents clarify who manages assets and how they are distributed. This clarity fosters cooperation among family members and lessens the emotional strain during medical crises. Advance planning creates a clear roadmap for making both medical and estate decisions, ensuring your wishes are accessible and enforceable at critical moments.
A unified plan makes it easier for your chosen representatives to act promptly and effectively. Including a HIPAA authorization, powers of attorney, and trust documents alongside an Advance Health Care Directive grants necessary access and legal authority to manage medical care and finances without delay. This streamlining helps avoid court proceedings that might otherwise be needed to appoint a guardian or conservator, saving time, cost, and family turmoil. When documents are complete and readily available, health care providers and institutions can follow your instructions with confidence.
Selecting the right agent for your Advance Health Care Directive means choosing someone who understands your values, can communicate under pressure, and is willing to follow your expressed preferences. Talk openly with the person you plan to name, explain the kinds of decisions they may face, and confirm they are comfortable taking on the responsibility. Consider naming alternates in case the primary agent is unavailable. Provide written guidance in your directive about goals of care and specific treatments so the agent can make decisions that align with your priorities without second-guessing.
An Advance Health Care Directive is effective only when providers and decision makers can access it. Provide signed copies to your agent, family members, primary care physician, and local hospital if possible. Keep originals in a secure but accessible location and note where they are stored. Consider filing electronic copies with healthcare portals or including a copy in your medical record. Inform loved ones about the document’s existence and location to avoid delays in time-sensitive situations and ensure that your wishes are honored when needed.
There are many reasons to prepare an Advance Health Care Directive: to ensure medical wishes are followed, to name a trusted decision maker, and to reduce stress on family members during emergencies. For those with progressive illness, chronic conditions, or upcoming major surgery, having clear written instructions and a designated agent can streamline care and prevent disputes. Advance directives also help protect personal dignity and comfort preferences by documenting whether to pursue aggressive treatment or to focus on quality of life and palliative measures when recovery is unlikely.
In Santa Ynez and surrounding communities, having an Advance Health Care Directive aligns with local medical practices and can make transitions between care settings smoother. Creating a directive is appropriate at any adult age and is particularly recommended for people who travel, live alone, or have family dynamics that could complicate decisions. The document is revocable and can be updated as circumstances evolve, so it provides a flexible way to maintain control over future healthcare decisions and to communicate priorities to loved ones and healthcare providers.
People commonly seek Advance Health Care Directives when facing major medical procedures, managing chronic illnesses, or preparing for long-term care. It is also useful for adults of any age who wish to name an agent and document preferences proactively. Families with elderly members, individuals with limited local support, or those who want to minimize disputes about medical choices find directives particularly helpful. The document provides guidance across scenarios from sudden incapacity to prolonged decline and ensures decisions align with the person’s values rather than defaulting to emergency protocols or court-appointed agents.
When a major surgery or medical procedure is planned, an Advance Health Care Directive ensures your treatment preferences and agent designation are already documented. Having the directive in place before the procedure reduces uncertainty if complications arise and you cannot communicate. It also allows medical teams to contact your agent promptly and follow your instructions about life-sustaining measures or comfort care. Preparing these documents ahead of time provides peace of mind so you and your family can focus on recovery with clear guidance in place.
For individuals with chronic or progressive conditions, an Advance Health Care Directive expresses preferences for long-term treatment goals and palliative care options. It helps align future medical decisions with personal values as conditions evolve, and it designates who will make choices when decision-making capacity declines. Regularly reviewing and revising the directive ensures it reflects current wishes and medical realities, providing a reliable reference for both health care providers and family members throughout the course of an illness.
When family members live far away or local support is limited, having an Advance Health Care Directive becomes especially important. The document names a decision maker who can act quickly and provides written instructions that traveling or remote family members can rely upon. In these circumstances, a HIPAA authorization and distributed copies of the directive help avoid delays in communication with medical providers and ensure timely decisions. Planning ahead reduces the burden on distant relatives and clarifies how care should proceed if immediate family cannot be present.
The Law Offices of Robert P. Bergman provides local support for residents of Santa Ynez seeking to prepare or review Advance Health Care Directives. We help clients identify a suitable agent, draft instructions that reflect personal and medical values, and coordinate related documents such as HIPAA authorizations and powers of attorney. Our goal is to make the process accessible and understandable, ensuring documents meet California requirements and are distributed to the appropriate people and providers. We assist with updates and answer questions so that your healthcare plan remains current and actionable when needed.
Choosing the right legal partner for your Advance Health Care Directive involves finding a firm that listens, explains options in plain language, and prepares documents tailored to your circumstances. We provide thoughtful guidance on selecting an agent, structuring instructions for clarity, and coordinating the directive with other estate planning tools. Our approach is focused on practical results and ensuring documents are easy to use for medical professionals and family members alike. We work to reduce ambiguity and to help you feel confident that your wishes will be respected.
We assist with the full lifecycle of health care planning, from initial consultation through document execution and follow-up reviews. This includes drafting HIPAA authorizations, advising on how directives interact with medical orders and hospital policies, and ensuring that the directive language aligns with your values. We also provide strategies for storing and sharing documents so that the agent and health care providers can find them quickly in urgent situations. Our process aims to make medical decision planning straightforward and reliable for our clients in Santa Ynez.
Clients benefit from a collaborative process that anticipates common questions and provides practical solutions for real-world scenarios. We address concerns about agent authority, inconsistent family expectations, and how to handle updates or revocations. By preparing durable, clearly written directives and related authorizations, we reduce the likelihood of disputes or delays when decisions are needed most. Our service is designed to give you and your family greater certainty and to make navigating healthcare choices less burdensome during stressful times.
Our process begins with a detailed conversation about your health care values, family dynamics, and who you want to designate as agent. We explain recording options, HIPAA authorizations, and how the directive interacts with medical orders. After discussing potential scenarios and preferences, we draft a directive tailored to your needs, review it together for clarity, and finalize execution with the required signatures or witnesses. We then advise on distribution, storage, and periodic review to keep the document current, providing support to ensure your plan remains effective over time.
The first step is an in-depth consultation to understand your goals, health conditions, and family circumstances. We ask about values related to life-sustaining treatment, comfort care, and decision-making preferences, and identify potential agents and alternates. This conversation helps shape the directive’s language and ensures it reflects your priorities. We also explain how the directive will coordinate with other estate planning documents and discuss practical considerations like storage and distribution to make sure the plan is accessible when needed.
During the initial meeting we focus on understanding how you view medical interventions, pain management, and quality-of-life considerations. We guide you through common scenarios to help clarify your preferences for resuscitation, ventilators, artificial nutrition, and other interventions. This helps create directive language that is specific enough for medical teams to follow while still flexible for unforeseen circumstances. We encourage clients to consider both short-term and long-term scenarios so the directive remains useful across different medical situations.
We assist in choosing an appropriate agent, discussing qualities that help in making difficult decisions such as communication skills, availability, and willingness to follow your instructions. We also recommend naming alternates and providing written guidance for difficult choices. Contingency planning includes discussing how to handle disagreements among family members and what documentation is needed for healthcare providers to accept the agent’s authority. Clear designation and instructions prevent delays when quick decisions are required.
After gathering information, we prepare a draft Advance Health Care Directive tailored to your stated preferences and agent designation. The draft uses precise language to reduce ambiguity and includes a HIPAA authorization to facilitate access to medical records. We review the document with you, making clarifications and adjustments to ensure it reflects your wishes. The review stage also covers signing requirements and recommended recipients of the document so it will be effective when needed by healthcare providers and family members.
Drafting focuses on plain language that healthcare professionals can interpret and that provides practical guidance to the agent. We include conditional statements and examples where helpful, avoiding vague phrases that could cause uncertainty. The goal is to strike a balance between flexibility and specificity so the directive remains applicable across various medical situations. We also ensure the directive aligns with California legal standards so it will be recognized by providers and facilities when decisions are required.
We coordinate the directive with other estate documents including wills, living trusts, and powers of attorney. This coordination helps avoid conflicts between medical and financial decision-making authority and ensures a cohesive plan for incapacity. We recommend who should receive copies, advise on how to integrate the directive into medical records, and provide instructions for updating or revoking the document. This coordination reduces the risk of conflicting instructions or administrative delays when the directive must be used.
The final step is executing the directive with the proper signatures and any required witnesses, then distributing copies to your agent, primary care provider, and family members. We provide guidance on storing the original and placing copies in accessible locations. After execution, we recommend regular reviews, especially after major life events or health changes, to confirm the directive remains aligned with your values. We can assist with amendments or revocation if you choose to update your instructions or change your designated agent.
Proper execution ensures the directive will be honored by healthcare providers and institutions. In California this may include the signature of the principal and either notarization or witnessing according to statutory requirements. We guide you through meeting these formalities and provide a clear checklist so the document is valid. Ensuring the directive is carried out correctly prevents technical challenges to its enforcement during critical times and gives your agent confidence that they can act under the authority you intended.
Advance Health Care Directives should be reviewed periodically and after significant life changes such as marriage, divorce, diagnosis of a serious illness, or relocation. We assist clients in making amendments or creating a new directive to reflect changed preferences or to replace an agent. Updating the document and redistributing copies ensures medical providers and family members continue to have access to current instructions. Regular review keeps your plan responsive to changing circumstances and maintains clarity for those who may need to rely on it.
An Advance Health Care Directive is a legal document that records your preferences for medical treatment and appoints a person to make decisions if you are unable to do so. It can cover life-sustaining treatments, resuscitation, artificial nutrition, and comfort care, and it often works together with a HIPAA authorization and power of attorney for healthcare. Having a directive in place communicates your wishes clearly to medical professionals and to the person you designate, reducing confusion during emergencies and ensuring your priorities are known when you cannot speak for yourself. It also helps avoid family disputes and costly court involvement when decisions are urgent. Preparing a directive is appropriate for adults of any age and is especially important if you have chronic conditions, plan to undergo major surgery, or have family members who live far away. The document can be updated or revoked as circumstances change, so it remains a flexible tool to maintain control over future medical choices. Distributing copies to your agent, physician, and family ensures timely access, and including a HIPAA authorization facilitates information sharing with the person you name.
Choosing the right health care agent is a critical decision. Look for someone who understands your values, communicates calmly under pressure, and can be present or available when medical decisions arise. It is helpful to discuss your preferences and possible scenarios with the person before naming them so they know what you expect. You may also name one or more alternates in case the primary agent is unable or unwilling to serve. Consider proximity, willingness to make tough choices, and the person’s relationship with other family members to avoid potential conflicts. Documenting your selection in the directive and providing written guidance about specific treatments or limitations gives the agent practical direction. Including a HIPAA authorization allows the agent to access medical records and speak with providers. Regularly confirm with the agent that they remain willing and able to take on the role, and review the directive after major life events or health changes to ensure the chosen person remains a suitable decision maker.
Yes, you can limit the authority of your agent by specifying conditions, treatment preferences, or areas where the agent may not act without additional consent. Many people include statements that direct the agent to follow the written instructions first and then use personal judgment only where the directive is silent. You can also expressly prohibit certain treatments or require that decisions align with stated religious or cultural values. Clear, specific language reduces the risk of differing interpretations and helps healthcare providers and the agent apply your wishes consistently. If you want tight controls or to restrict certain actions, be explicit about the boundaries and consider listing examples of acceptable and unacceptable interventions. Keep in mind that overly restrictive language can sometimes impede timely decision making, so balance precision with practicality. We help clients draft wording that reflects their intent while remaining workable for agents and medical teams in urgent situations.
Advance Health Care Directives are intended to guide healthcare providers, but they must be consistent with medical ethics, hospital policies, and applicable law. Medical teams generally follow a valid directive and the instructions of an appointed agent, provided the document is clear and the agent has authority. Hospitals may request to review documents, confirm capacity issues, and verify that the agent’s decisions fall within legally recognized parameters. Communicating with your primary care physician and keeping the directive in the medical record helps ensure providers are aware of and prepared to follow your instructions. Occasionally, disagreements arise between family members or between an agent and providers. In such cases, hospitals often have processes for resolving disputes or may seek legal guidance. Ensuring the directive is well drafted, signed appropriately, and distributed to relevant providers reduces the likelihood of conflict and improves the chances your preferences will be implemented smoothly.
A HIPAA authorization permits your designated agent or other named individuals to access your protected health information and communicate with healthcare providers on your behalf. Without this authorization, privacy regulations can limit the information that providers can share, which may impede timely decision making. Including a HIPAA release alongside the Advance Health Care Directive ensures your agent can obtain the medical details necessary to make informed decisions and to discuss treatment options with clinicians without unnecessary delay. The HIPAA authorization should be specific about who may receive information and can be tailored to cover certain providers or types of records. Including it with your directive and sharing copies with your medical team avoids procedural holdups and supports a seamless process for your agent to carry out medical decision-making responsibilities when capacity is lacking.
You should review your Advance Health Care Directive periodically and after significant life changes such as marriage, divorce, new medical diagnoses, or changes in family relationships. A review every few years is sensible to ensure the document still reflects your values and that your agent remains willing to serve. Advances in medical technology and changes in personal circumstances can affect treatment preferences, so updating the directive keeps it relevant and reliable for healthcare providers and decision makers. If you decide to make changes, document amendments clearly and distribute updated copies to your agent, primary care physician, and anyone else who holds a previous version. Properly revoking or replacing older directives prevents confusion and ensures that the most current document will be used when necessary.
Yes, you can revoke or change your Advance Health Care Directive at any time while you have decision-making capacity. Revocation can be done by signing a new directive, writing a clear revocation statement, or destroying the existing document. It is important to inform your agent, health care providers, and family members when you make changes so everyone knows which document is current. Replacing the directive with a new version and redistributing copies prevents reliance on outdated instructions. When updating your directive, consider whether to adjust agent designations or add clarifications based on experience or changing values. Properly documenting the new directive and ensuring it meets legal execution requirements in California will help guarantee that providers accept and follow your updated instructions when they become necessary.
An Advance Health Care Directive addresses medical decision making and does not typically cover financial matters. Financial decisions are usually handled by a separate durable power of attorney for finances, trusts, or other estate planning documents. For comprehensive planning, it is advisable to prepare both healthcare and financial instruments so there is a coordinated approach to both medical care and asset management if incapacity occurs. This reduces the need for court appointments and ensures continuity in managing bills, property, and benefits. Coordinating these documents allows your designated health care agent and financial agent to access necessary information and act within clear legal authority. Including both types of documents as part of an overall plan provides greater protection and makes it easier for appointed representatives to carry out their roles efficiently.
California law allows an Advance Health Care Directive to be valid when properly executed, which typically means the principal signs the document and either it is notarized or signed in the presence of two witnesses who meet statutory qualifications. Some healthcare facilities may accept a notarized document as the simplest option. We help clients meet execution requirements to ensure the directive will be recognized by hospitals and providers. Following formalities reduces the risk of administrative challenges when the document needs to be relied upon. Because formal requirements can vary depending on circumstances, it is helpful to consult with counsel or a knowledgeable advisor to confirm that the directive is executed correctly. Proper execution and distribution to healthcare providers and the named agent increase the likelihood that your instructions will be honored without delay.
To increase the likelihood that your directive is followed, communicate openly with family and your chosen agent about your wishes and why they matter. Provide copies of the signed directive and HIPAA authorization to your agent, primary care physician, and any specialists or hospitals you use. Keeping a copy in your medical record and providing written guidance to family reduces confusion. Clear, specific language and documented preferences make it easier for providers and the agent to interpret your intentions and act consistently with your values. Additionally, review the directive periodically and after life changes so that all parties know the document remains current. If disputes arise, well-drafted instructions and proper execution help resolve questions quickly, making the document more persuasive to clinicians and decision makers.
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