NJHA President and CEO Betsy Ryan and state Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett kicked off the annual observance of National Healthcare Decisions Day with a joint op-ed describing the new electronic POLST initiative. 

NJHA and the New Jersey Department of Health worked collaboratively to develop the electronic Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST), which is being pilot tested in select hospitals before a statewide rollout. Electronic POLST enables access to an online form, via a secure website and mobile devices, so a patient and physician or advance practice nurse can detail the individual’s goals of care and medical preferences when facing a life-limiting illness. 

Writing as guest columnists for NJ.com, Ryan and Bennett underscore the importance of patients and their loved ones being engaged with their primary care providers to plan their goals of care and express them via the POLST form. 

“As healthcare leaders, we know that a more intense level of medical care isn't what every patient wants. We also know that more care - including more procedures, more visits with specialists or longer stays in the hospital - doesn't always correlate with a better outcome for the patient. There is no single ‘right’ way to face life's final days. But it is right to recognize each individual's unique wishes and make sure that their preferences are clearly stated in a consistent way that healthcare professionals can access quickly and securely,” Ryan and Bennett write. 

The annual observance of National Healthcare Decisions Day begins April 16 and includes a week of activities to help people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care. This year’s theme is "It Always Seems Too Early, Until It’s Too Late." 

“Don't put off this important conversation with your physician or advance practice nurse, and your family and loved ones,” write Ryan and Bennett. “If you need help getting the conversation started, download the POLST form from DOH or NJHA. The very first line gives you a good place to start: What are your goals of care?”