SB1403 Summary

• Creates the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Act establishing a standardized form for documenting life-sustaining medical treatment decisions, with the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision to establish the format within 60 days of enactment.

• Standardized form includes sections for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), medical interventions (full treatment, limited interventions, or comfort measures only), antibiotics, and assisted nutrition/hydration decisions, along with patient preferences and advance directive information.

• Requires physicians to discuss treatment options with patients or their authorized representatives and provide a disclosure statement before preparing the form; prior non-standardized forms expire 45 days after the new format takes effect or 10 days after hospital admission, whichever is later.

• Provides liability protection for health care providers acting in good faith and in compliance with the form; imposes $200,000 minimum damages or actual damages plus attorney fees for intentional falsification, forgery, or coercion related to the form.

• Requires the State Board to develop a mandatory online training presentation (minimum 1 hour) for health care providers on POLST responsibilities; health care providers must complete this training before executing a form, with completion counting toward continuing education requirements.