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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>70254</law_id><section_number>54.1-2987</section_number><catch_line>Transfer of patient by physician who refuses to comply with advance directive or health care decision</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="54.1">Professions and Occupations</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="29">Medicine and Other Healing Arts</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="8">Health Care Decisions Act</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>An <span class="dictionary">attending physician</span> who refuses to comply with (i) a patient&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">advance directive</span> or (ii) the <span class="dictionary">health care</span> decision of a patient&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">agent</span> or (iii) the <span class="dictionary">health care</span> decision of an authorized person pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Procedure in absence of an advance directive; procedure for advance directive without agent; no presumption; persons who may authorize health care for patients incapable of informed decisions" href="/54.1-2986/">54.1-2986</a> shall make a reasonable effort to transfer the patient to another physician and shall comply with &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Medically unnecessary health care not required; procedure when physician refuses to comply with an advance directive or a designated person's health care decision; mercy killing or euthanasia prohibited" href="/54.1-2990/">54.1-2990</a>.
		This section shall apply even if the <span class="dictionary">attending physician</span> determines the <span class="dictionary">health care</span> requested to be medically or ethically inappropriate.</p></section></text><history>1983, c. 532, &#xA7; 54-325.8:7; 1988, c. 765; 1992, cc. 748, 772; 2000, cc. 590, 598; 2009, cc. 211, 268.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
