New Jersey May Make Healthcare Facilities Educate Staff and Patients on End-of-Life Care

Bills introduced in the New Jersey Legislature at the end of October would require "assisted living facilities, dementia care facilities, hospitals, and long-term care facilities" to 

"(1) require annual education on advance care planning, end-of-life care and POLST forms for administrative and professional medical staff"

"(2) provide patients and their families, as appropriate, educational materials on POLST forms, advance directives, and hospice and palliative care"

"(3) implement policies to identify and address end-of-life issues upon patients’ admission to facility."

The Department of Health may suspend the license of a facility that fails to comply. It is unfortunate that such state legislation is needed when these duties were already imposed by the Patient Self Determination Act nearly 30 years ago.