Dr. Chris Sepich, Your HCPOA

For 15 years as an internal medicine physician, Dr. Chris Sepich, MD, saw firsthand the struggles of some of his most vulnerable patients, especially when a car accident or other critical medical incident left them unable to share their quality-of-life preferences. This often led to a delay in care and the patient’s loved ones in arguments or even in court battles when a patient’s wishes had never been discussed in advance. Although his patients trusted him, Dr. Sepich could not legally be named their health care power of attorney, because medical ethics and law recognize it as a conflict of interest. To be able to be their voice to make healthcare decisions, Dr. Sepich decided to leave his longtime Wilmington practice at Novant Health in 2023 to utilize his medical knowledge in a different capacity. He and his wife Jody, who is an internal medicine doctor at the VA Hospital in Wilmington, opened Your HCPOA, the first physician directed health care power of attorney business in the United States.