Effective 01/01/09, Assembly Bill AB 3000, passed by the California Legislature, amended Probate Code sections 4780, 4782, 4783, 4784, and 4785 relating to health care decisions and life sustaining treatment. Nationwide, similar legislation is known as Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST), in states that have adopted similar measures.
The California Coalition for Compassionate Care has a great website explaining the POLST legislation. You can also see a good explanatory brochure here.
The primary focus of a POLST is to supplement your current Advance Health Care Directive, not to replace that directive. Only your physician can sign the POLST. You can read a list of POLST FAQ’s here.
The POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form is important for people with serious health conditions. It is used to make a person’s wishes for medical care known to doctors, nurses, emergency medical personnel and other healthcare staff. The POLST form is a bright pink medical order form. Your doctor uses the POLST form to write orders that indicate the treatment you want in the last stages of an illness.
For more information read the information at the links above, speak with your health care professional or your estate planning attorney.
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