Updates California law on life-sustaining treatment by renaming Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) and allowing patients or their authorized decision-makers to create these forms with a doctor or supervised medical professional. The bill allows electronic signatures, recognizes out-of-state POLST or Do Not Resuscitate orders, and makes completing a POLST voluntary without affecting access to care. Concerns include the possibility that surrogates might override patient wishes, confusion from conflicting orders, and risks that a patient’s true preferences may not always be followed.
Updates California law on life-sustaining treatment by renaming Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) and allowing patients or their authorized decision-makers to create these forms with a doctor or supervised medical professional. The bill allows electronic signatures, recognizes out-of-state POLST or Do Not Resuscitate orders, and makes completing a POLST voluntary without affecting access to care. Concerns include the possibility that surrogates might override patient wishes, confusion from conflicting orders, and risks that a patient’s true preferences may not always be followed.
