A. A health-care provider or health-care institution acting in good faith and in accordance with generally accepted health-care standards applicable to the health-care provider or health-care institution is not subject to civil or criminal liability or to discipline for unprofessional conduct for:
(1) complying or attempting to comply with a health-care decision of a person apparently having authority to make a health-care decision for a patient, including a decision to withhold or withdraw health care or make an anatomical gift;
(2) declining to comply with a health-care decision of a person based on a belief that the person then lacked authority;
(3) complying or attempting to comply with an advance health-care directive and assuming that the directive was valid when made and has not been revoked or terminated;
(4) declining to comply with a health-care directive as permitted by Subsection E or F of Section 24-7A-7 NMSA 1978; or
(5) complying or attempting to comply with any other provision of the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act.
B. An individual acting as agent, guardian or surrogate under the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act is not subject to civil or criminal liability or to discipline for unprofessional conduct for health-care decisions made in good faith.
History: Laws 1995, ch. 182, § 9; 2000, ch. 54, § 10.
The 2000 amendment, effective May 17, 2000, inserted "health-care" following both instances of "health care provider or" in the preliminary language of Subsection A, inserted "or make an anatomical gift" in Subsection A(1), and updated the statutory reference in Subsection A(4).
Structure New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 24 - Health and Safety
Article 7A - Uniform Health-Care Decisions
Section 24-7A-1 - Definitions.
Section 24-7A-2 - Advance health-care directives.
Section 24-7A-2.1 - Prohibited practice.
Section 24-7A-3 - Revocation of advance health-care directive.
Section 24-7A-4 - Optional form.
Section 24-7A-5 - Decisions by surrogate.
Section 24-7A-6 - Decisions by guardian.
Section 24-7A-6.1 - Life-sustaining treatment for unemancipated minors.
Section 24-7A-6.2 - Consent to health care for certain minors fourteen years of age or older.
Section 24-7A-7 - Obligations of health-care practitioner.
Section 24-7A-8 - Health-care information.
Section 24-7A-10 - Statutory damages.
Section 24-7A-12 - Effect of copy.
Section 24-7A-13 - Effect of the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act.
Section 24-7A-14 - Judicial relief.
Section 24-7A-15 - Uniformity of application and construction.
Section 24-7A-16 - Transitional provisions.