POLST Orders May Be Coming to Washington State

The House in Washington state passed a bill that would establish POLST forms (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) that would allow individuals to express their end-of-life wishes. The bill is now headed to the state Senate. From The Seattle Times,

"House Bill 2494 directs the state Department of Health to develop a simple form that spells out a person's preference regarding emergency and life-sustaining treatment. The legislation also limits legal liability for health-care providers who act in accordance with the preferences expressed on the form."

"'For health-care providers in a medical emergency, it is a standard and understandable practice to do everything possible to save a person's life,' said Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, who serves on the House Health Care and Wellness Committee. 'But the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment form recognizes a basic truth: People have a right to personal feelings that don't necessarily fit with that practice.'"

Read our other posts about the POLST form.
http://www.hospicefoundation.org/blog/2007/12/why-talking-about-end-of-life-issues-is.html

http://www.hospicefoundation.org/blog/2007/11/states-looking-into-developing-new-end.html

http://www.hospicefoundation.org/blog/2007/12/oregons-polst-orders-are-going.html