Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment form: statewide registry.

Existing law defines a request regarding resuscitative measures as a written document, signed by an individual with capacity, or a legally recognized health care decisionmaker, and the individual's physician, directing a health care provider regarding resuscitative measures. Existing law defines a Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment form, which is commonly referred to as a POLST form, and provides that a request regarding resuscitative measures includes a POLST form. Existing law requires that a POLST form and the medical intervention and procedures offered by the form be explained by a health care provider. Existing law distinguishes a request regarding resuscitative measures from an advance health care directive. This bill would enact the California POLST Registry Act. The bill would require the California Health and Human Services Agency, on or before January 1, 2016, to establish and operate a statewide registry system, to be known as the California POLST Registry, for the purpose of collecting POLST forms received from health care providers, who would be required to submit the forms to the registry unless a patient or his or her health care decisionmaker chooses not to participate. The bill would require the agency to disseminate the information in the forms to authorized users, including health care providers. The bill would require the agency to adopt rules for the operation of the registry, which would include the means by which POLST forms would be submitted, revised, and revoked, appropriate and timely methods for dissemination of POLST form information, and procedures for verifying the identity of users and maintaining the confidentiality of POLST forms. The bill would require that any disclosure of POLST form information in the registry be made in accordance with applicable federal privacy laws. The bill would provide immunity for people who use information in the registry and act in good faith.