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State
Advisory Council on Quality Care at the End of Life
The
State Advisory Council on Quality Care at the End of Life was
created in December 2002 (Chapter 265, Acts of 2002). Health-General
Article §§13601-13-1604. The Council
studies the impact of State statutes, regulations, and public policies
on the providing of care to the dying. The Council monitors trends
in the provision of care to patients with fatal illnesses and participates
in public and professional educational efforts concerning the care
of the dying. The Council also advises the General Assembly, Office
of Attorney General, Department of Aging, and the Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene matters related to the provision of
care at the end of life.
Council
Member Biographies
Advisory
Council Meeting Notice.
Please
contact Paul Ballard, Counsel for Health Decisions Policy at pballard@oag.state.md.us if
you have any questions or would like to attend the Council's
next meeting.
The State Advisory Council on Quality Care at the End of Life will be meeting Jan. 28, 2013 at 10:00 at the Maryland Office on Aging, Room 1007, 301 West Preston Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.
Meeting
Minutes
Health Decisions Policy
On the Health
Decisions Policy page you will find helpful information regarding
advance directives, legal issues and advice regarding
health care decisions at the end of life, the “Instructions
on Life-Sustaining Treatment Options” form in English and
Spanish, educational guides for patients, providers, health care
agents, and surrogate decision makers, a workgroup report on hospice
and palliative care and end-of-life counseling, a wallet card to
use to inform health care providers of the existence of an advance
directive, studies, and other useful links to other websites containing
information relevant to care at the end of life.
Ethical
Framework
The
decision-making process that leads to excellent care should
not be a lucky happenstance.
Instead, its component steps should
be identified, reflected in pertinent policies, and carried
out routinely. To assist health care facilities with this important
work, and after extensive consultation, the State Advisory
Council
on Quality Care at the End of Life has issued an Ethical Framework
for decision making entitled “Key Steps in Making and Implementing
Health Care Decisions.” The Ethical
Framework, principally
written by Dr. Steven Levenson and endorsed unanimously by
the Council, identifies the steps for not only complying with
the
Health Care Decisions Act but also giving practical meaning
to the ethical
principles that underlie the Act. The Advisory Council and
the Attorney General's Office urge all health care facilities
and programs to integrate the Ethical Framework (adapted as appropriate
to the particular setting) into their staff training, policy
documents, and routine clinical practice.
Reports
and Correspondence
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