Free webinar Nov. 2: POLST eRegistry pilot project The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) is hosting a webinar for health care providers and medical professionals, “POLST eRegistry Pilot Project: 2017 Overview and Update." The free webinar takes place on Thursday, November 2, 2017, from 12-1:30 p.m. This webinar will provide an overview of the California POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) eRegistry pilot project. This project, funded by the California Health Care Foundation, is designed to test implementation, use and sustainability of an electronic POLST registry in two California communities, with electronic POLST forms securely submitted ... October 19, 2017 General Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment, POLST, Webinars 0 0 Comment Read More »
It's Health Care Decisions Week: Talk to your patients about their end-of-life wishes The California Medical Association (CMA) recognizes National Health Care Decisions week by encouraging physicians to speak with their patients about the importance of completing an advance directive to make sure their end-of-life wishes are known. Experts say only about 20-30 percent of Americans have completed an advance directive, even though all people age 18 and older should have one. In California, advance directives are the legally recognized format for “living wills.” An advance directive enables individuals to make sure that their health care wishes are known in advance and considered ... April 19, 2017 General Advance Directive, Advanced Care Planning, End of Life Issues, POLST 0 0 Comment Read More »
Pilot planned to develop electronic POLST registry in CA: ACCMA and SDCMS participate A $3 million pilot project to build an electronic database for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) has been approved by the board of directors of the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF). Participating in the project will be the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA) and San Diego County Medical Society (SDCMS). POLST is a legally recognized document that outlines a plan of care reflecting patients' wishes concerning medical treatment and interventions toward the end of their lives. Currently, in California most POLST information is maintained only as a pink piece ... August 25, 2016 General POLST, Advanced care Planning, End of Life Issues 0 0 Comment Read More »
New POLST toolkits available online in English and Spanish Physicians across California are successfully using Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) to improve patient care at the end of life. POLST is a legally recognized document, printed on bright pink paper, that outlines a plan of care reflecting patients' wishes concerning medical treatment and interventions toward the end of our lives. Under a new law that took effect January 1, 2016, nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) acting under the direction of a physician and within their scope of practice are now able to sign the POLST forms ... April 4, 2016 General Life Sustaining Treatment, Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment, POLST, End of Life Issues 0 0 Comment Read More »
NPs and PAs can sign POLST forms beginning in 2016 A new law (Assembly Bill 637) recently signed by Gov. Jerry Brown will allow nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA), under the direction of a physician and within their scope of practice, to sign Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms and make them actionable medical orders. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2016. The POLST form is a legally recognized document that outlines a plan of care reflecting patients’ wishes concerning medical treatment and interventions toward the end of their lives. The California Medical Association (CMA) co-sponsored ... September 9, 2015 General Advocacy, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, End of Life Issues, POLST 0 0 Comment Read More »
Patient resources on end-of-life decisions now available online The California Medical Association (CMA) encourages Californians to think about and talk with loved ones about their wishes for end-of-life medical care. CMA has developed a number of resources to help providers, patients and loved ones with making these important end-of-life decisions. The information, available in English and Spanish, includes legally recognized documents such as Advance Directives, Do-Not-Resuscitate forms and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST). CMA's Advance Health Care Directive and POLST toolkits also include wallet identification cards and answer frequently asked questions from patients. Physicians are also encouraged ... August 28, 2015 General Do Not Resuscitate, End of Life Issues, POLST, Advance Directive 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA takes on public health, Medi-Cal with 2015 sponsored legislation California Medical Association (CMA) sponsored bills for 2015 include a $2 per pack tax on cigarettes, increasing provider rates for Medi-Cal and establishing a Graduate Medical Education Trust Fund in light of inadequate funding levels from the federal government. SB 591 (Pan) – Cigarette and tobacco products taxes: California Tobacco Tax Act of 2015 This bill is the CMA-led Save Lives Coalition’s legislative strategy to increase the state’s tobacco tax by $2 per pack. The bill would allocate funds raised by the tax to tobacco prevention and education, programs provided by ... March 24, 2015 General Medi-Cal, POLST, State Legislative Advocacy, Tobacco Tax, Workers' Compensation, Graduate Medical Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
New version of POLST form effective October 1 Physicians across California are successfully using Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) to improve patient care at the end of life. Effective October 1, 2014, a new version of POLST makes this tool even more effective. POLST is a physician order, signed by both doctor and patient, that specifies the types of medical treatment a patient wishes to receive toward the end of life. POLST is a tool that encourages conversation between physicians and patients about medically appropriate end-of-life treatment options. It also helps patients make more informed decisions and ... September 18, 2014 General POLST, Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment 0 0 Comment Read More »
POLST: Improving patient care in the emergency department By True McMahan, M.D. Emergency department (ED) physicians are a very diverse group of providers. Some of us are cavalier, shooting from the hip as called for by the situation at hand. Others are meticulous and obsessive planners, taking no chances and casting a wide net of differential diagnoses. But MOST, if not all of us, work in a daily melee of balancing a multitude of patients with emergency medical conditions, all the while putting out administrative fires and juggling family and visitors. Is it any wonder then that we ... October 31, 2013 General POLST, End of Life Issues 0 0 Comment Read More »
