11/23/2016

Member Action Alert: Help Improve End-of-Life Care in Ohio!

Senate Bill 165, introduced by Sen. Peggy Lehner (R – Kettering), would establish procedures for the use of MOLST (medical orders for life-sustaining treatment) and revise laws governing Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) identification and orders. Ohio ACEP strongly supports the legislation and throughout the committee hearings, several physicians offered testimony in support of the bill, including Ohio ACEP members, Drs. Christian Jacobus and Joe Bocka.

The legislation passed the Ohio Senate with a vote of 30-3, but if the bill isn’t voted on by the Ohio House before the end of the year, the bill will be effectively “dead” and will need to be reintroduced and start over in the next General Assembly. Help us push this important legislation across the finish line!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Reach out to your state representative and ask them to contact House Health and Aging Committee Chair, Anne Gonzales and Vice-Chair Dr. Steve Huffman and urge them to support a vote and passage of the MOLST
2. If your State Representative is a member of the House Health and Aging Committee, call and ask them to support passage of SB 165

Not sure who your State Representative is? Click here and enter your zip code to find out!

Members of the House Health & Aging Committee:

Committee Leadership:

Rep. Anne Gonzales (R – Westerville); Chair

Rep. Steve Huffman (R – Tipp City); Vice-Chair

Rep. Nickie Antonio (D – Lakewood); Ranking Member

House Republicans: Rep. Jim Butler Rep. Mike Duffey Rep. Theresa Gavarone Rep. Tim Ginter Rep. Terry Johnson Rep. Sarah LaTourette Rep. Ron Maag Rep. Derek Merrin Rep. Kirk Schuring Rep. Robert Sprague

House Democrats: Rep. John Barnes Rep. Heather Bishoff Rep. Christie Bryant Kuhns Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan Rep. Dan Ramos Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes

Not sure what to say? Here are some great key messages from the Hospice Alliance of Ohio:

• Support passage of the MOLST, SB 165, which is currently in the House Health and Aging Committee. This important piece of legislation will guide care for terminally ill patients and communicate their goals of care as they move from setting to setting.
• No one is required to complete a MOLST form. The MOLST form is voluntary and establishes procedures to uniformly document and transfer end-of-life medical orders. Just like any medical order, a patient or decision-maker should discuss and understand the options carefully with his or her medical professional. Further, nothing in the legislation or on the MOLST form is intended to create a bias in favor of more or less aggressive forms of treatment.
• The MOLST is patient-centered and patient-driven. The uniform MOLST form will allow the patient to better understand and drive his or her end-of-life care, including those decisions regarding the administration of life-sustaining treatment. 
• The MOLST transforms an advance directive end-of-life goals of care into actionable medical orders. An individual’s goals of care that they identify on advance directives have to be transcribed into actionable medical orders for healthcare providers to follow those uniquely developed declarations. The MOLST acts as a healthcare tool that demonstrates communication and acknowledgment of those goals of care in terms of appropriate medical orders. 
• The MOLST is a standardized medical order form for terminally ill patients. The MOLST improves communications and continuity of care between healthcare providers and patients as well as from setting to setting.
• The MOLST form is transferable across settings of care. A MOLST form will be transferable across all settings, including emergency settings. A copy of a MOLST form is equally valid as an original, and medical professionals will be required to notify other medical professionals if they know a patient or decision-maker has completed a MOLST form.
• CMS, beginning January 2016, has approved reimbursement for end-of-life care consultation. When appropriate, the MOLST would document and communicate orders uniformly throughout Ohio.

Thanks for helping us improve end-of-life care in Ohio!