Ventura County Piloting Initiative Promoting New Advance Directives
A pilot program in Ventura County aims to help area residents work with doctors to complete advance directives to be a part of a system called Physicians' Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment, the Ventura County Star reports. Six other regions in California also are piloting the system.
Under the system, physicians complete the forms with patients, specifying whether patients wish to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation, medical intervention, antibiotics or feeding tubes.
Supporters say the directives carry more weight than other advance directives and are working to make the system the standard for advance directives, especially for people with illnesses that could lead to death within a year.
The California Legislature has approved a bill that endorses physicians' orders and requires them to be followed in most circumstances. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is considering the measure.
A $20,000 grant from the California HealthCare Foundation is funding the Ventura County pilot program (Kisken, Ventura County Star, 7/19).
CHCF publishes California Healthline.