The MMA has been instrumental in developing a standardized Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form that can be used for patients diagnosed with serious illnesses throughout Minnesota.

In 2009, the Minnesota Medical Association hosted a interdisciplinary task force to develop the standardized form that is now endorsed by the MMA and the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board.

The target audience for this form are patients diagnosed with serious illnesses such as those enrolled in hospice programs, living in nursing homes and using home care agencies.

The MMA recommends that physicians read both the instructions on the back of the form and the MMA's FAQ about the form before using it with patients.

More information about the form can be obtained by calling MMA Policy Counsel,
Karolyn Stirewalt at (612) 362-3738.

POLST Resources

POLST Frequently Asked Questions

POLST Form (as endorsed by the MMA Board of Trustees and
the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board)

POLST Form (which may be tailored to suit the specific needs of some
providers’ patients and/or organizations’ policies)

The Need for POLST: Minnesota’s Initiative, Minnesota Medicine, January 2010

Click here to request a POLST materials kit

Contents of the kit include:

• One copy of the MMA-endorsed POLST form;
• One copy of the Frequently Asked Questions sheet;
• One copy of the article, The Need for POLST: Minnesota’s Initiative,
  Minnesota Medicine, January 2010