POST and Patient Advocates: Should I Update My Estate Plan?

POST and Patient Advocates: Should I Update My Estate Plan?

Michigan is in the process of rolling out a new health care advanced directive called a Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (POST or MI-POST).  Effective February 6, 2018, POST joins the other medical care advance directives available to Michiganders, including Patient Advocate Designations, Advance Directives, and Do Not Resuscitate orders.

 

What is a POST form?

A POST form is a medical order that is designed to ensure that seriously ill patients can choose the end-of-life care treatments they want and that their wishes are honored by medical providers.  A POST form addresses specific life-sustaining measures such as CPR, intubation, transport, antibiotics, tube feeding and hospitalization.  POST is not for every patient—only patients with serious advanced illnesses who may die within the next year.

 

How do you make a POST form?

A health care professional can assist you in executing a POST form.  The POST process begins with a conversation.  The health care professional and the patient must have a thoughtful dialogue about the patient’s diagnosis and prognosis; the available treatment options; and the patient’s goals of care and preferences of treatment.  Once a decision is reached about the patient’s treatment goals, a POST form may be executed.

 

Does POST Impact my Estate Plan?

A POST form may be executed, changed, or revoked by a patient’s legally appointed health care representative (Patient Advocate or Guardian).  Therefore, it is important that you carefully choose your Patient Advocate and that your Patient Advocate Designation include POST powers.

 

If you need to update your Patient Advocate Designation with POST provisions, please contact our office and we will be happy to assist you.

 

Resources

House Bill 4170 (Public Act 154 of 2017).

Physician Order for Scope of Treatment (POST) Executive Summary, https://www.mafp.com/system/:tenant_id/ckeditor_assets/attachments/1866/original_post_executive_summary.pdf (Accessed May 21, 2019).

 



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