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MyDirectives Awarded Contract to Enhance Portable Medical Orders Registry for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
New ePOLST registry to provide seamless digital access to critical portable medical orders across Massachusetts and beyond
DALLAS – September 4, 2024 – MyDirectives, the leading provider of digital advance care planning (ACP) tools, announced today it was awarded a contract to improve the creation, accessibility, and interoperability of portable medical orders (POLST forms) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This project aims to revolutionize the way healthcare providers and first responders access critical healthcare directives, ultimately improving patient care across the state.
After over a decade of using the paper-based MOLST form, Massachusetts is aligning with national standards and best practices, joining dozens of other states using the POLST form. To support this transition, the Commonwealth has selected MyDirectives to build and deploy a new online registry (ePOLST).
The project also includes deploying MyDirectives for Clinicians™ (MyDC) licenses to providers across the state. MyDC allows clinicians to create ePOLST documents and enables healthcare providers and mobile medical professionals to access these documents through integration with electronic health records in hospitals and nursing facilities and patient care record systems used by Fire and EMS/Ambulance professionals to document care provided in the field, or via the Massachusetts Health Information Exchange (Mass HIway). As the program ramps up, MyDC licenses will be issued in a phased approach, expanding to unlimited licenses by the third year.
This initiative will integrate the state’s POLST documents with MyDirectives’ proprietary national registry and repository, the A|D Vault Exchange™, which is interoperable with the majority of the U.S. healthcare ecosystem. “By aligning with the National POLST Collaborative and leveraging our existing registry infrastructure, the Commonwealth is setting a new standard for emergency, critical, and end-of-life care,” said Scott Brown, president and CEO of MyDirectives. “With opportunities for improved patient outcomes, cost avoidance, and enhanced care quality, the benefits are clear.”
“This system is designed to benefit everyone involved,” Brown emphasized. “Healthcare providers gain visibility into exactly what their patients want, while patients and their loved ones have peace of mind that their wishes can be honored when it matters most. Plus, with the inclusion of POLST documents in our national registry, patients traveling between states can have confidence their documents will be accessible wherever they are.”
The Commonwealth's decision to invest in a robust ePOLST registry reflects a commitment to advancing healthcare for all its residents. This project underscores the importance of making critical medical information readily available and ensuring patient wishes are respected across the healthcare continuum.
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