February 17, 2022
MMA-backed legislation that would require the commissioner of health to study issues related to the development of a statewide registry for Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms was introduced at the Capitol this week.
The POLST bill, HF 3360, was introduced in the House on February 14 by Rep. Kelly Morrison, MD, (DFL-Deephaven). If passed, the legislation would create an advisory group of stakeholders to study the creation of a statewide registry of POLST forms.
The bill works to ensure patients’ medical treatments and end-of-life preferences are followed by all healthcare providers, especially in an emergency. Currently, first responders often do not have access to a patient’s POLST form if a physical copy is unavailable during an emergency. That means medical orders, filled out by a physician following extensive discussions with a seriously ill patient and their family, might not be administered.
The bill serves as a necessary step for future legislation to create a statewide registry for POLST forms, so medical orders can be followed in the most critical of times. If passed, the bill requires the commissioner of health to submit a report on the results of the study to the Legislature by February 2023.
May 29, 2025
As the Legislature works to complete its work on the state’s two-year budget, another deadline is looming. Legislators are required to pass a balanced budget before the end of the fiscal year—June 30, 2025. If they don’t meet that deadline, the state will begin a partial shutdown.
May 29, 2025
Registration has opened for the Empowering Physicians: A Night of Reflection and Engagement event, featuring best-selling author Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD.
May 29, 2025
The AMA is encouraging physicians to contact their U.S. senators and urge them to revise the reconciliation bill passed recently by the U.S. House of Representatives. While the bill includes language that would stabilize Medicare physician payments, it also threatens to cripple Medicaid and CHIP.