Electronic Registry for California POLST

Kaiser Health News reported that "a coalition of emergency and social service providers is working to create an electronic registry for POLST forms so they will be available to first responders and medical providers when they are needed. The group is starting with a three-year pilot project in San Diego and Contra Costa counties that could serve as a model for a single, statewide registry. Paper-based POLST forms are used across the nation, but electronic registries exist only in a few states, including Oregon, New York and West Virginia."

The article, California Tests Electronic Database For End-Of-Life Wishes, explains that the registry is envisioned as a cloud-based portal where the providers would load the forms. The advantage, of course, is that the provider would have access to the POLST regardless of the patient's location.  Since multiple agencies are involved, there are some hurdles to overcome to make this a reality.  One expert quoted in the article prefers that the registry be expanded to include advance directives as well as POLST forms.