Bill Text: CT HB06521 | 2013 | General Assembly | Comm Sub


Bill Title: An Act Concerning Medical Orders For Life-sustaining Treatment.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-04-16 - File Number 530 [HB06521 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2013-HB06521-Comm_Sub.html

General Assembly

 

Substitute Bill No. 6521

    January Session, 2013

 

*_____HB06521PH____040313____*

AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAL ORDERS FOR LIFE-SUSTAINING TREATMENT.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioner of Public Health may, within available appropriations, establish a pilot program in one or more geographic areas in the state to implement the use of medical orders for life-sustaining treatment by health care providers. For purposes of this section: (1) "Medical order for life-sustaining treatment" means a physician's written medical order to effectuate a patient's request for life-sustaining treatment; and (2) "health care provider" means any person, corporation, limited liability company, facility or institution operated, owned or licensed by this state to provide health care or professional services, or an officer, employee or agent thereof acting in the course and scope of his or her employment.

(b) The Commissioner of Public Health may establish an advisory group of health care providers to make recommendations concerning the pilot program described in this section. The members of such advisory group may include one or more: (1) Physicians, (2) advanced practice registered nurses, (3) physician assistants, (4) emergency medical service providers, (5) patient advocates, (6) hospital representatives, or (7) long-term care facility representatives.

(c) Prior to commencement of a pilot program pursuant to this section, said commissioner may contact a representative of each health care institution, as defined in section 19a-490 of the general statutes, a representative of each emergency medical service organization, as defined in section 19a-175 of the general statutes, any physician licensed under chapter 370 of the general statutes, and any advanced practice registered nurse licensed under chapter 378 of the general statutes in the geographic area in which the commissioner intends to establish the pilot program to request such institution's, organization's, physician's or advanced practice registered nurse's participation in the pilot program. Participation by each institution, organization, physician and advanced practice registered nurse shall be voluntary.

(d) Patient participation in the pilot program shall be voluntary. Any such agreement to participate in the pilot program shall be made in writing, signed by the patient or the patient's legally-authorized representative. Such agreement shall be maintained by the health care institution, emergency medical services organization, physician or advanced practice registered nurse that presented such agreement to the patient and shall be made available to the commissioner upon request.

(e) After the termination of the pilot program, said commissioner may submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health concerning the pilot program.

(f) Said commissioner may implement policies and procedures necessary to implement the pilot program while in the process of adopting such policies and procedures in regulation form, provided the commissioner prints notice of the intent to adopt regulations in the Connecticut Law Journal not later than thirty days after the date of implementation of such policies and procedures. Policies implemented pursuant to this section shall be valid until the time final regulations are adopted or until the pilot program terminates, whichever occurs earlier.

(g) Any pilot program established in accordance with this section shall terminate not later than October 1, 2014.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

Section 1

from passage

New section

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

In section 1(b)(3), the phrase "physicians assistants" was changed to "physician assistants", for accuracy and statutory consistency, and in section 1(c), the phrase "licensed in accordance with section 19a-490" was changed to "as defined in section 19a-490" for accuracy.

PH

Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO

 
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