OPR launches new data platform
October 26, 2020
The Oregon POLST Registry (OPR) successfully completed the launch of its new and upgraded data platform after more than a year in its design and logistical development. Read the report here.
…………………………………………………………..
Oregon Medical Board Encourages Appropriate POLST Use
February 25, 2020
The OMB Winter 2020 Newsletter features a great resource on the appropriate use of POLST (pg 3). We encourage healthcare providers and administration to utilize this information to enhance their quality of POLST use. Read the report here.
…………………………………………………………..
Get Hospice POLST Forms Registered Faster
October 25, 2019
Hospice providers now have the opportunity to have their patients’ POLST forms registered with the Oregon POLST Registry faster than ever! By signing up for OPR’s POLST eSubmit protocol, registry ready forms for hospice patients will be given priority for entry into the Registry. Please visit OPR’s website and follow the eSubmit Registration instructions. Call (1-877-367-7657) or email (polstreg@ohsu.edu) the Oregon POLST Registry for questions
…………………………………………………………..
The Oregon POLST Registry is getting an upgrade!
September 30, 2019
The Oregon POLST Registry is partnering with Beyond Lucid Technologies to Improve Platform Efficiency, Reporting & Prehospital Accessibility. Read the details here.
…………………………………………………………..
Oregon POLST Registry recognized as national leader in 2019 GAO report
February 21, 2019
Want to know more about advanced care planning? The Oregon POLST Registry was recently featured in the US Government Accountability Office report on advanced care planning. Check it out here.
…………………………………………………………..
Oregon becomes the first state to remove feeding tubes from POLST forms
January 31, 2019
On January 2, 2019, Oregon became the first state to remove artificially administered nutrition from their POLST form. A recently published article in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society discusses the reasoning for this significant revision and provides a recommendation for other state POLST programs to consider. (J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019 Jan 31, https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15775)
…………………………………………………………..
More Oregonians using end-of-life care instructions, But forms show increasing preference for interventions
December 21, 2018
More Oregonians are leaving instructions regarding their end-of-life wishes for medical interventions, but a growing percentage of those are choosing full resuscitation or other aggressive measures.
That could suggest that the instruction forms, intended to protect people from unwanted interventions at the end of life, are being filled out too early by people who aren’t at risk of impending death. Read more here.
…………………………………………………………..
Oregonians more likely to specify end-of-life wishes, study finds
December 3, 2018
A study from doctors a OHSU and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that the number of people in Oregon who fill out forms with end-of-life wishes has increased. Read OregonLive article here.
…………………………………………………………..
Oregon POLST Registry featured in The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT 2018 report
November 7, 2018
The Oregon POLST Registry is thrilled to receive such high praises from the ONC Health IT POLST Report.
…………………………………………………………..
Legacy Health goes live with ePOLST submission to the OPR
October 16, 2018
Legacy Health joins several other health systems in Oregon in adopting new technology to electronically capture, store, and access patients’ advance care planning documents to streamline electronic registry for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms—legal documents outlining the care patients want to receive at the end of life or in emergency medical situations. Read the news release here.
…………………………………………………………..
2019 Oregon POLST form approved
October 8, 2018
On October 4, the Oregon POLST Coalition approved changes to the 2018 version of the Oregon POLST Form. The 2019 Oregon POLST Form (version 13) will be effective on January 2, 2019, and the Coalition asks that all health systems implement the use of the 2019 form by April 8, 2019. Like all previous versions, the 2019 form is a result of changes and updates suggested by POLST stakeholders, quality data from the Oregon POLST Registry, and published research. he summary of the changes can be found here and in the Oregon POLST Professional Resource Library. Read the press release here.
…………………………………………………………..
Remembering Dana Zive
October 1, 2018
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our Director, Dana Zive. Dana was a passionate advocate for the Oregon POLST Registry and an accomplished researcher. She will be miss by all that knew her. Read more about Dana.
…………………………………………………………..
CareAccord services have ended
March 16, 2017
CareAccord and it’s Direct Secure Messaging services have ended. The Oregon POLST Registry asks that forms be faxed or mailed to: 503-418-2161/3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd Mail Code: BTE234 Portland, OR 97239. Please DO NOT email POLST forms.
…………………………………………………………..
OPR has New Expanded Ways to Receive POLST Forms!
June 5, 2017
The Oregon POLST Registry has partnered with CareAccord to enable POLST form submissions and requests through Direct Secure Messaging. Direct Secure Messaging allows health care professionals to exchange protected health information over the internet safely, securely, and privately. CareAccord is a Health Information Service Provider (HISP) administered by the Oregon Health Authority and provides free Direct Secure Messaging services.
If your health care system has Direct Secure Messaging that allows you to send attachments, you can submit and request POLST forms by communicating with us at opr.admin@careaccord.org. You do not need to be a CareAccord subscriber. CareAccord is interoperable with other HISPs. Direct Secure Messaging means that you have a way to send encrypted, secure messages, even with protected health information.
To most quickly enter patients’ wishes for end-of-life treatment goals, the Registry needs to work quickly. Every form received is entered into the Registry within 10 business days, and with your help, we can make sure patient wishes are honored when needed most.
…………………………………………………………..
OPR Celebrates Five Years of Operations!
December 3, 2014
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Oregon POLST Registry. The Registry was established in 2009 under legislation passed in Senate Bill 329. Under the leadership of Dr. Terri Schmidt and in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority, Oregon POLST Program, and OHSU Department of Emergency Medicine, the Registry has served thousands of Oregonians by ensuring that their care wishes are available when they are needed most. The Registry team remains committed to developing new and innovative ways to connect health care providers to POLST orders and patients to the level of treatment they desire.
…………………………………………………………..
Launch Date Announced for New POLST form!
July 30, 2014
The Oregon POLST Task Force is happy to announce the 2014 Oregon POLST Form (Version9) will be released and authorized for use on October 1, 2014. Previous versions of the Oregon POLST Form remain valid.
Like all previous versions, the 2014 POLST Form is a result of changes and updates suggested by POLST stakeholders over the last three years, revisions to other state POLST Forms, and review of POLST Form completion by the Oregon POLST Registry. Click here to view the full 2014 New POLST Form Press Release.
…………………………………………………………..
1,000 Matches in 1,000 Days
September 20, 2013
The Oregon POLST Registry Hotline celebrated a new milestone in September of 2013 when the 1,000th POLST form was matched to a patient during a medical emergency. “It is great to see how the utilization of the Oregon POLST Registry has taken off since its statewide launch in December of 2009,” said Dr. Terri Schmidt, Director of the Oregon POLST Registry, “We could not be more pleased that we have affected the emergent care of more than 1,000 Oregonians. Before the Registry, these patients may not have received the care they wanted during their medical crisis, simply because a form was not found. We have been able to change that.”
…………………………………………………………..
OPR joins CareAccord®
June 5, 2013
The Oregon POLST Registry has joined CareAccord®, Oregon’s Health Information Exchange! CareAccord’s Direct Secure Messaging service allows doctors, nurses and other health care professionals to securely electronically share a patient’s medical information, and now you can submit and receive of POLST forms to the Oregon POLST Registry.
CareAccord® can eliminate the need for costly fax machines, phone calls and courier services. CareAccord’s secure, web-based, electronic email system allows you to safely and securely exchange patient health information with the Oregon POLST Registry, providers and organizations across the state, from anywhere you can access the internet, even from your mobile device!
To learn how the CareAccord® Direct Secure Messaging system works and to register for an account, visit their website at www.careaccord.org or e-mail them at careaccord.info@state.or.us.
To learn how to submit, resolve, or request POLST forms using CareAccord® click here.
…………………………………………………………..
Oregon POLST Registry sees out-of-state utilization
2013
In 2013, an Emergency Department in Wyoming contacted the Registry to check on a patient’s POLST orders. A facility nurse related that, “the patient’s [spouse] had some paperwork with them since they were travelling, but asked us to call the Oregon POLST Registry where the patients’ form was on file.” The staff at the facility praised the Oregon POLST Registry staff for their help with this patients’ care. The Emergency Communications Center and the Registry staff were able to quickly respond to this unusual request, helping to ensure that this Oregonian, even while traveling, was able to receive the level of care they desired.
orpolstregistry.wordpress.com 
