Cynthia Towne - CHAIR

SB1298; end-of-life options; right to know

Sponsor: Lopez

AzNA Position: Support

SUMMARY: This bill would require a health care provider to, upon request; provide the terminally ill with comprehensive information and counseling about legal end-of-life options.

STATUS: To discover how this bill is progressing, just go to the Arizona Legislative Information System (ALIS) at www.azleg.gov and type the number of the bill into the space at the top of the page. Comprehensive information including the bill itself and its status will be shown there.

ACTION: Write and call your legislators if the bill is heard in committee. AzNA worked with the sponsor when the original bill was introduced in 2009.

TALKING POINTS:

• If a patient, upon receiving a diagnosis of a terminal illness, requests information about end-of-life options, the health care provider has a responsibility to do so or must transfer care of the patient to another provider who will provide such information.
• The information includes: hospice; prognosis with and without “disease-targeted” treatment; patients’ rights related to requests for or refusal of care, symptom management, individual health care instructions (including advance directives), and appointment of a legal healthcare decision-maker; possible outcomes; and treatment options.
• Requirements of bill benefit all patients and families.
• Inherent responsibility for health care providers with or without a statutory mandate, unfortunately not all providers agree.
• The bill aligns with AzNA's Legislative agenda to “foster ethical decision-making within the healthcare delivery system"; and to "recognize the right of individuals and their families to make informed healthcare decisions and choices, including those related to palliative care and medical directives

CMSA_Model_Act.pdf

CONGRESSIONAL_CONTACTS.doc

What_NCMs_Need_To_Know_article.pdf

NCSBN_Support_letter_for_NLC_Compact_states.doc

NCSBN_letter_Legislative_and_Policy_Issues_Related_to_MSL_Practice_Q_and_A_ANA.doc