Rutgers Law

New Jersey Statutes, Title: 26, HEALTH AND VITAL STATISTICS

    Chapter 2h: Declaration of public policy

      Section: 26:2h-135: Modification, supersedure of POLST form.

          7. a. If the goals of care of a patient with a completed POLST form change, the patient's attending physician, physician assistant, or APN may, after conducting an evaluation of the patient and after obtaining informed consent from the patient or, if the patient has lost decision-making capacity, the patient's representative in accordance with subsection d. of this section, issue a new order that modifies or supersedes the completed POLST form consistent with the most current information available about the patient's health status and goals of care.

b. A patient with decision-making capacity, may, at any time, modify or revoke the patient's completed POLST form or otherwise request alternative treatment to the treatment that was ordered on the form.

c. If the orders in a patient's completed POLST form regarding the use of any intervention specified therein conflict with the patient's more recent verbal or written directive to the patient's attending physician, physician assistant, or APN, then the physician, physician assistant, or APN shall honor the more recent directive from the patient in accordance with the provisions of subsection e. of this section.

d. The POLST form shall provide the patient with the choice to authorize the patient's representative to revoke or modify the patient's completed POLST form if the patient loses decision-making capacity. If the patient so authorizes the patient's representative, the patient's representative may, at any time after the patient loses decision-making capacity and after consultation with the patient's attending physician or APN, request the physician, physician assistant, or APN to modify or revoke the completed POLST form, or otherwise request alternative treatment to the treatment that was ordered on the form, as the patient's representative deems necessary to reflect the patient's health status or goals of care. If the patient does not authorize the patient's representative to revoke or modify the patient's completed POLST form, the patient's representative may not revoke or modify the patient's completed POLST form.

e. A verbal or written request by a patient or the patient's representative to modify or revoke a patient's completed POLST form, in accordance with the provisions of this section, shall be effectuated once the patient's attending physician, physician assistant, or APN has signed the POLST form attesting to that request for modification or revocation.

L.2011, c.145, s.7; amended 2019, c.218, s.7.

This section added to the Rutgers Database: 2019-09-06 16:26:29.

Older versions of 26:2h-135 (if available):

Court decisions that cite this statute: CLICK HERE.