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| June 29, 2010 | Volume 2, Number 2 |
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 POLST Form
Revised POLST Form in Development for 2011
As part of continuous quality improvement, proposed changes to the California POLST form are scheduled to be considered every two years. The POLST Task Force Documentation Committee has carefully reviewed nearly 200 suggestions that have been received since 2009, and has made several recommendations for revisions. A revised draft of the POLST form is currently undergoing further review and consideration. It is anticipated that the revised form will go into effect April 1, 2011. Click here to request a preview copy of the revised form. |
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POLST Education
Training in the POLST Conversation
POLST: It Starts with a Conversation,CCCC's two-day train-the-trainer course provides opportunities for health care providers to develop skills for facilitating meaningful conversations with patients and their families about POLST. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Upcoming dates: · September 16-17, Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, CA · October TBD, San Francisco, CA · October 21-22, Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Visalia, CA Registration will begin in early July. To register, visit www.caPOLST.org.
Want to Offer a One-Day POLST Workshop in Your Community
CCCC is available to partner with local communities to offer a one-day POLST workshop focused on the basics of POLST and the POLST conversation, using elements of the standardized POLST curriculum. To learn more about hosting a workshop in your community, contact Erin Henke.
POLST Webinar Well Received
The California Medical Association (CMA) offered a webinar on POLST in early June. The free webinar was offered to CMA members and non-members, as well as physicians and non-physicians, and was very well attended. Additional POLST webinars for physicians will be offered in the near future. Webinar dates will be announced in future issues of the POLST Update, as well as on the POLST website.
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Policy and Quality Improvement
Advisory Group Meets to Discuss POLST in the RCFE
An advisory group will convene in mid-July to explore barriers around the use of POLST in residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs). The purpose of this group is to get a better understanding of how POLST is currently working for RCFE residents and identify opportunities to better support residents' treatment wishes within the parameters of RCFE regulations.
Additional Guidance for Hospitals Issued
Medicare regulations require that medical orders written in hospitals be signed by physicians with admitting privileges at that hospital. As a result, if a POLST form is completed by a doctor without admitting privileges at a hospital, there has been confusion about whether those orders should be honored. The California Hospital Association (CHA), in collaboration with representatives of the POLST Task Force, met with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to obtain clarity on this issue.
In response, CHA sent a memo to its members explaining that health care providers are obligated to accept the POLST and must incorporate its content into their treatment plan, unless medical circumstances dictate otherwise, as determined by the attending physician. The presence of a POLST does not change, however, the health care provider's responsibility to conduct an appropriate and timely assessment of the patient's condition and to document a treatment plan and associated orders.
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POLST Resources
Translated Educational Materials Now Available
Facing Serious Illness: Making Your Wishes Known, the POLST brochure for consumers, is now available in Chinese and Spanish. In addition, fact sheets about Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Tube Feeding are available in Chinese and Spanish: · CPR/DNR - Chinese
POLST Conversation Video in Development
Development has begun on an educational video for health care providers that models effective POLST conversation techniques. The video will use several scenarios depicting realistic situations where a POLST conversation would take place. It is anticipated that the video will be released in early 2011.
CARE Recommendations on End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes Released
The CARE Recommendations: Steps and Tools to Redefine Health and Hope in Nursing Homes are now available. The CARE Recommendations contain tools and resources, including those related to POLST, that support the development of the attitudes, knowledge and skills that nursing homes need to provide the best possible end-of-life care for residents.
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POLST in the News
Deposit Your POLST Story in the POLST Story Bank
A POLST story bank is being developed to collect POLST success stories from patients, families and health care providers. Using these powerful, personal stories in educational materials helps demonstrate the impact that POLST can have on honoring patient wishes. If you have a POLST story to share, please contact Erin Henke.
Recent Articles about POLST and Advance Care PlanningT
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Newsletters are available at www.caPOLST.org in PDF format for anyone who is having trouble reading this email version.
The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) is a non-profit, statewide partnership of more than 95 regional and statewide organizations promoting high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care for all Californians. CCCC provides leadership and oversight for POLST activities in California, with support from the California HealthCare Foundation.
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