New POLST toolkits available online in English and Spanish April 4, 2016 General Life Sustaining Treatment, Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment, POLST, End of Life Issues 0 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 and make them actionable medical orders. Physicians and NP/PAs should only use the new version of the POLST form, though previous versions will continue to be honored. The California Medical Association’s (CMA) POLST kits include this newly updated form, and are available in both English and in Spanish. They also contain legal forms and wallet identification cards, and answer frequently asked questions about end-of-life issues. Physicians are encouraged to keep a supply of forms in their offices for use when having end-of-life discussions with patients. POLST kits can be purchased from CMA's online resource library. Single copies are $5 for members ($6 for nonmembers). Significant discounts are available on bulk purchases. For bulk purchase inquiries, please call (800) 882-1262. For more information on POLST, see CMA On-Call document #3451, "Decisions Regarding Life-Sustaining Treatment: Advance Directives and POLST." On-Call documents are free to members in CMA's online health law library at www.cmanet.org/cma-on-call. Nonmembers can purchase documents for $2 per page. For more end-of-life resources, see www.cmanet.org/endoflife. Comments are closed.
