• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

POLST

Patient site | Professional site | COVID‑19 | Contact Us
  • About POLST
    • About POLST
      • History of POLST
      • National POLST Logo
      • Program Names
    • Starting POLST
    • POLST Form
    • Your POLST
  • About Advance Care Planning
    • About Advance Care Planning
    • Advance Directives
  • Other Resources
    • Other Resources
    • Stories
    • FAQs
    • Religion
    • Rejecting Racism
  • State Programs
  • Donate

POLST and COVID-19

National POLST Resources

Basics about POLST:

  • Intended Population & Guidance for Health Care Professionals
  • Appropriate POLST Form Use Policy

Patients: 

Please see our Patient Resources page.

Health Care Professionals and Facilities:

  • Completing POLST Forms in Crisis Standards of Care
  • COVID-19 & POLST Statement
  • CPR Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Webinar: Crafting Care Planning Tools to Meet the Unique Challenges of COVID-19 (59 min including questions)
  • Advice on Signatures from Charlie Sabatino (YouTube video, 7 min)
  • Long Term Care Facility Guidance
  • Communication Skills for Bridging Inequality (VitalTalk)
  • Hospital Visitor Policies Nationwide Must Accommodate Patients With Disabilities During COVID-19 Pandemic (The Arc)
  • Resolution of Federal Civil Rights Complaint Raises the Bar in Prohibiting Medical Discrimination Against People With Disabilities During COVID-19 Pandemic (The Arc)

Nursing Facility Specific tools (from optimistic-care.org)

  • Advance Care Planning During a Crisis for Nursing Homes (12 min video; slides)
  • Advance Care Planning and COVID-19
  • CALMER Goals of Care Discussion Guide
  • Symptom Management in the Nursing Home During COVID-19

Related to Medicare and Medicaid:

  • Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes (CMS)
  • Advance Care Planning: Reimbursable under Medicare (Coalition for Compassionate Care of California)
  • Summary of CMS Interim Final Rule provisions (Healthsperien)

FAQs

  • Electronic POLST Frequently Asked Questions 
  • Frequently Asked Questions for Health Care Professionals
  • Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Frequently Asked Questions

Advance Care Planning (ACP) Conversation Resources

  • Oregon Health & Science University Center for Ethics:
    • Communication skills for confirming previous POLSTs (18 min video)
    • Pocket Card for discussing previous POLSTs (PDF)
  • Respecting Choices:
    • Proactive care planning for COVID-19 (3-page PDF guide)
    • Proactive care planning for COVID-19 (26 min video)
  • Prepare For Your Care:
    • Simple ACP Scripts for All Outpatient Health Professionals

Resources from our Partners

  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid:
    • Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes (PDF)
  • The John A Hartford Foundation:
    • COVID-19 Resources for Older Adults, Family Caregivers and Health Care Providers
  • Respecting Choices: COVID-19 Resources
    • Resources to have Planning Conversations in COVID-19
    • Tools to support specific treatment decisions
    • Resources for individuals
  • Colorado Program for Patient Centered Decisions:
    • Life Support During the COVID Pandemic (PDF)
  • National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization:
    • COVID-19 Information
  • The Center to Advance Palliative Care:
    • COVID-19 Response Resources
    • COVID-19 Response Training
  • VitalTalk:
    • COVID-Ready Communication Skills
    • Communication Skills for Bridging Inequality
  • Ariadne Labs
    • Simulated Telemedicine Demo of COVID-19 Conversation Guide for Outpatient Care (10 min video)
    • Serious Illness Care Program COVID-19 Response Toolkit:
      • Entire toolkit (Zip file)
      • COVID-19 Conversation Guide for Crisis Standards (PDF)
      • Telehealth Communication Tips (PDF)
      • Recommendation Aid (PDF)
      • Care Planning Resource (PDF)
  • AMDA (The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine):
    • AMDA Update on COVID-19 and Guidance, Resources & Tools
  • The Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWHPN)
    • Resources for Hospice & Palliative Care Social Work Professionals During the COVID-19 Crisis
  • The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC):
    • COVID-19 Resources

Resources Addressing Discrimination

  • Communication Skills for Bridging Inequality (VitalTalk)
  • Hospital Visitor Policies Nationwide Must Accommodate Patients With Disabilities During COVID-19 Pandemic (The Arc)
  • Resolution of Federal Civil Rights Complaint Raises the Bar in Prohibiting Medical Discrimination Against People With Disabilities During COVID-19 Pandemic (The Arc)
  • Using Palliative Care to Support Equitable Care in the Midst of COVID-19 (CAPC)

Also see our Rejecting Racism web page.

Contact Us

  • 208 I Street NE
  • Washington DC 20002
  • (202) 780-8352
Comments? Questions? Email us.

Newsletter

Sign up for news from National POLST

Sign Up

Sign up to receive National POLST eNewsletters

The National POLST Office produces approximately 10 eNewsletters per year that include news about POLST, resources for POLST Programs, and the latest research on end-of-life issues.

View previous eNewsletters »

Comments or Questions? Email Us

By submitting this form, you are granting National POLST permission to email you. You may update your mail preferences or unsubscribe at any time. MailChimp's Privacy Policy.

Quick Links

  • Patient FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Media
  • Forum

Honoring the wishes of those with serious illness and frailty.

©2021 National POLST, a project of Tides Center
Privacy & Terms