MT HB825

Adult hospital patients may designate a "trusted decisionmaker" to make health care decisions on their behalf if they lose decisional capacity, with the designation communicated orally or otherwise to a health care provider and witnessed by a third party

Establishes a 9-tier hierarchy for selecting decisionmakers when a patient lacks capacity: (1) court-appointed guardian, (2) agent named in power of attorney or advance directive, (3) spouse, (4) adult child, (5) parent, (6) sibling, (7) trusted decisionmaker, (8) close friend, (9) other proxy

Health care providers must document the trusted decisionmaker's identity and contact information in the patient's health record and immediately notify the patient's family of the designation

A trusted decisionmaker designation remains in effect until the patient completes an advance directive, completes a medical durable power of attorney, designates another trusted decisionmaker, or is discharged from the hospital

Amends Montana's Patient Bill of Rights to recognize trusted decisionmakers alongside existing lay proxy decisionmakers for exercising patient rights