Other Healthcare Planning Forms

Outside of a designation of healthcare surrogate form and living will, the State of Florida recognizes a few other types of healthcare planning forms:

Organ donation

Organ, tissue and eye donation is another form of health care planning recognized by the state of Florida. Donate Life, the organization in Florida that oversees organ, tissue and eye donations, estimates that one organ donor can save up to eight lives, and one tissue donor can help restore health to more than fifty people.

For more information on organ, tissue, and eye donation, visit the Donate Life website.

Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNRO)

A DNRO is a legal form created by a doctor that shows a person has decided not to have cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the event his or her heart or breathing stops. This form is:

• Jointly created by a person and his or her doctor
• Considered a doctor’s order as part of medical treatment plan
• Must have a doctor’s signature and the signature of the patient or the patient’s healthcare surrogate or proxy.

In some instances, a DNRO is created and valid in facilities where people are under the care of health care professionals such as a hospital or skilled nursing center. To be legally valid outside of these types of settings such as in a person’s home, a paper copy of the order must be printed on yellow paper.

Most people who chose to have a DNRO are living with a terminal illness or other serious medical condition. Talk with your doctor if you’re interested in learning more about a DNRO order. If you do not have a physician or would like a referral to a new primary care physician or specialist, let us help you find a doctor online or call 1-800-BayCare.

To learn more about DNRO orders, visit the Florida Department of Health website.