The Arizona Revised Statutes have been updated to include the revised sections from the 56th Legislature, 1st Regular Session. Please note that the next update of this compilation will not take place until after the conclusion of the 56th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session, which convenes in January 2024.
DISCLAIMER
This online version of the Arizona Revised Statutes is primarily maintained for legislative drafting purposes and reflects the version of law that is effective on January 1st of the year following the most recent legislative session. The official version of the Arizona Revised Statutes is published by Thomson Reuters.
A. A person authorized as a surrogate to make health care decisions under this chapter is not responsible for paying the patient's health care costs unless the person is otherwise required to do so.
B. This chapter does not authorize a surrogate to consent to any act or omission to which the patient could not lawfully consent.
C. The surrogate shall make health care decisions for the patient in accordance with the patient's wishes as expressed in the health care directive. If the health care directive does not provide sufficient information to know what the patient would want in a particular circumstance, the surrogate shall base these decisions on the surrogate's knowledge of the patient's values if those are known or can be determined to the surrogate's satisfaction. If neither the health care directive nor the surrogate's knowledge of the patient's values provides a sufficient basis for making a health care decision, the surrogate shall decide based on the surrogate's good faith belief as to what is in the patient's best interest.
D. A surrogate who makes good faith health care decisions for a patient is not subject to civil or criminal liability for those decisions. Acts and refusals to act made in reliance on the provisions of a health care directive are presumed to be made in good faith. A court shall base a finding of an absence of good faith on information known to the surrogate and shall enter its finding only after it has made a determination of bad faith in written findings of fact based on clear and convincing evidence of improper motive. For the purposes of this subsection, "good faith" includes all health care decisions, acts and refusals to act based on a surrogate's reasonable belief of a patient's desires or a patient's best interest if these decisions, acts or refusals to act are not contrary to the patient's express written directions in a valid health care directive.
E. A surrogate who is not the patient's agent or guardian shall not consent to or approve the permanent withdrawal of the artificial administration of food or fluid.