EDITOR’S MESSAGE
End of Life Decisions By Aileen Wetzel, Executive Director ON OCTOBER 5, 2015, California became the fifth state in the nation to allow physicians to prescribe terminally-ill patients medication to end their lives. ABX2-15, the “End of Life Option Act,” went into effect on June 9, 2016 and permits terminally-ill adult patients with capacity to make medical decisions to be prescribed an aid-in-dying medication, if certain conditions are met. CMA has published legal guidance to outline the requirements of the End of Life Option Act. CMA On-Call document #3459, “The California End of Life Option Act,” is in question-and-answer format, and is intended to help both physicians and patients navigate the law. This document discusses the requirements of the End of Life Option Act. To download a free copy, visit www. cmanet.org/endoflife, or call SSVMS at (916) 452-2671. SSVMS and CMA encourage all Californians to talk with loved ones about their wishes for end-oflife medical care before a serious illness or injury occurs. CMA has developed a number of guidelines, forms, and other resources to assist physicians, patients, and loved ones with making important end of life decisions. In California, advance directives are the legally-recognized format for “living wills.” An advance directive enables individuals to make sure that their health care wishes are known in advance and considered. Advance directives also allow patients to appoint a health care “agent” who will have legal authority to make health care decisions in the event that a patient is incapacitated, or immediately upon appointment if the patient expressly grants such authority.
In 2009, POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) became a legally recognized document. The POLST form, used for patients with a serious illness or whose life expectancy is a year or less, outlines a plan of care reflecting the patient’s wishes concerning medical treatment and interventions at life’s end. The POLST form complements an advance directive by turning a patient’s treatment preferences into actionable medical orders. The Pre-Hospital Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) forms, and POLST Kit form, developed by the California Emergency Medical Services in conjunction with CMA, instructs EMS personnel to forgo resuscitation attempts in the event of a patient’s cardiopulmonary arrest. CMA’s Advance Health Care Directive Kit, DNR forms, and POLST Kit are available for purchase on the CMA website. These resources are offered in both English and Spanish.
CMA’s Health Law Library Updated annually, CMA’s online health law library contains nearly 5,000 pages of valuable information for physicians and their staff. The library includes comprehensive legal information, including current laws, regulations and court decisions related to the practice of medicine. Access to the library is FREE to SSVMS/ CMA members. Nonmembers can purchase documents for $2 per page, or the complete California Physician’s Legal Handbook (CPLH) in print or online format. awetzel@ssvms.org
July/August 2016
Comments or letters, which may be published in a future issue, should be sent to the author’s email or to e.LetterSSV Medicine@gmail. com.
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