Does a Texas medical power of attorney need to be notarized?

Not necessarily — Texas Health and Safety Code section 166.154 lets you sign before two qualifying witnesses or have your signature acknowledged before a notary. Families in El Paso often choose the notary because the witness rules exclude the agent and, for at least one witness, relatives, heirs and the staff caring for you, which leaves few eligible people in a hospital room. Either method is valid; the form is the same.

Can you come to UMC or another El Paso hospital to notarize a medical power of attorney?

Yes. We regularly notarize at University Medical Center, the Hospitals of Providence, Las Palmas, Del Sol, nursing homes and hospice across El Paso, usually the same day by appointment. The patient must be alert, understand what the document does and either show ID or be identified by a credible witness. Please schedule before sedation or a procedure — if the patient cannot understand the document when we arrive, we cannot notarize it.

Where do I get the Texas medical power of attorney and directive to physicians forms?

Texas Health and Human Services publishes the official Medical Power of Attorney, Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates, and related advance directive forms on its website at no charge, in English and Spanish. Many El Paso hospitals and hospices hand out the same forms. Fill in your agent, alternates and choices before the appointment; our notary cannot choose an agent for you or explain the treatment options — an attorney or your physician can.

Can my agent or a family member be a witness on my medical power of attorney?

The person you name as agent cannot serve as one of the witnesses. Of the two witnesses, at least one must also not be related to you by blood or marriage, entitled to part of your estate, your attending physician, or an employee of the physician or facility involved in your care. If you use a notary acknowledgment instead, no witnesses are needed, which is why bedside signings in El Paso are usually notarized.

How much does it cost to notarize a medical power of attorney and directive in El Paso?

The Texas statutory fee is $10 for the first signature on each document and $1 for each additional signature on that document, plus QWIK's nominal $39 travel fee anywhere in El Paso, itemized separately. A medical power of attorney, directive to physicians and HIPAA release for one person is three documents; two spouses signing their own sets is six. After-hours visits are quoted — text or call (915) 302-0902 and we confirm the total first.

Medical Power of Attorney Notary in El Paso

Medical Power of Attorney Notary in El Paso — At Home or at the Hospital Bedside

Texas Medical Power of Attorney, Directive to Physicians, HIPAA release and related health directives notarized at your home, at University Medical Center or any El Paso hospital, nursing home or hospice — in English or Spanish, often the same day.

Texas Notary Public · commissioned by the Texas Secretary of State · online notary commission

A medical power of attorney names the person who will make health care decisions for you if you cannot speak for yourself; a directive to physicians (the living will) records what treatment you want or refuse at the end of life; a HIPAA release lets a family member talk to your doctors and see your records. In El Paso these documents are signed in ordinary living rooms across Horizon City and the Westside, but just as often at a bedside — a parent admitted to University Medical Center, a spouse in hospice care, a soldier's family at a Fort Bliss-area home before a deployment. QWIK Mobile Notary comes to that room, in English or Spanish.

Texas Health and Safety Code chapter 166 lets a medical power of attorney and a directive to physicians be signed before two qualifying witnesses or a notary. Witnesses have limits — at least one may not be a relative, an heir, the attending physician or a facility employee involved in your care, and the agent you name cannot be a witness — exactly the people in the room at a hospital. With a notary, the signer shows unexpired photo ID and acknowledges the document; the agent may attend but does not sign. The Appointment of Agent to Control Disposition of Remains is also acknowledged before a notary; the Out-of-Hospital Do-Not-Resuscitate Order is a separate DSHS form with its own rules.

Text or call (915) 302-0902 and tell us which forms you have, where the signer is and any hospital visiting hours. We confirm the fee — Texas statutory fees plus a $39 travel fee in El Paso — and come to the home, room or care facility; a set of directives usually takes about 15 minutes once ID is checked. The signer must be awake and understand what the document does; if a patient is sedated or confused we cannot notarize, and no one else can sign for them. We cannot recommend an agent, fill in choices about treatment or explain what the options mean. Texas Health and Human Services publishes the official forms in English and Spanish at no charge.

Documents we notarize

Medical Power of Attorney
Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates (living will)
HIPAA Authorization / Release of Protected Health Information
Out-of-Hospital Do-Not-Resuscitate Order (DSHS form with its own witness rules)
Declaration for Mental Health Treatment
Appointment of Agent to Control Disposition of Remains
Medical Records Authorization
Health Care Directives from other states or hospital systems
Medical documents that require an acknowledgment or oath

Advance directives and medical documents we notarize

The Texas Medical Power of Attorney and the Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates are the core forms; most El Paso families sign both in one sitting with a HIPAA authorization so the agent can speak with the care team. We also notarize medical records authorizations, the Declaration for Mental Health Treatment, the Appointment of Agent to Control Disposition of Remains, and out-of-state or hospital-system versions when the provider requires a notary. Each form's signature page says whether it needs witnesses, a notary or either; read it before we arrive so the right people are in the room.

Hospital, nursing home and hospice signings in El Paso

We go to University Medical Center, the Hospitals of Providence campuses, Las Palmas, Del Sol, El Paso Children's, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and hospice — and to William Beaumont Army Medical Center when the family arranges access. Call us before the patient is medicated for a procedure or the evening dose makes conversation hard; the signer must be able to tell us, in their own words, what the document does and who they are naming.

A patient who cannot hold a pen may sign by mark or, under Texas Government Code section 406.0165, direct the notary to sign for them in front of a witness with no interest in the document; a patient without ID at the bedside can be identified by a credible witness who knows them and has no stake in the paperwork. We cannot notarize for a signer who no longer understands — at that point families generally need an attorney's advice about guardianship, and we say so plainly rather than stamp a document that will not hold up.

What to bring

Unexpired photo ID for the person signing — if the patient's wallet is at home, ask a family member to bring it
The complete form with the agent's name, alternates and any treatment choices already marked
No witnesses are needed when the notary acknowledges the form; if your provider still wants them, the agent cannot be one
The hospital's or provider's instructions, if they sent a specific version
Payment for the notarial fees and the $39 travel fee, confirmed when you book

How a mobile appointment works

Text or call to book

Text or call (915) 302-0902 with the forms you have, the signer's location and any hospital visiting hours. We confirm the fee — statutory notary fees plus a $39 El Paso travel fee — and schedule the visit, including evenings and weekends.

We come to you

Our notary meets you at home or at the bedside, checks the signer's photo ID or a credible witness, confirms the patient understands the document and is signing willingly, takes the acknowledgment and completes the Texas certificate and seal.

Signed, sealed, done

Give copies to your agent and your primary doctor, and ask the nurse or patient advocate to add one to your hospital chart. Keep the original where family can find it — a directive nobody can locate does not help anyone.