On October
5, 2015, the California legislature passed the “End of Life Option Act” (the “Act”), which permits physicians to prescribe an
aid-in-dying medication to terminally-ill patients. The Act is set to
take effect on June 9, 2016. While health care providers will be obliged
to give terminally-ill patients information about their end of life options,
including their right to request aid-in-dying medication, provider
participation in the Act is completely voluntary.
Furthermore, healthcare organizations
have a limited ability to actively prohibit their
employees and independent contractors from participating in certain end of life
activities authorized by the Act.
This blog post will provide
physicians with a brief overview of their rights and obligations under the Act.
The information herein will be of particular import to medical groups as they
navigate service agreements with healthcare partners that wish to opt-out of
the Act.
Overview of the Act
To make a request for
aid-in-dying medication, the Act requires the patient to be a California
resident who has been diagnosed by his or her attending physician as having
less than six (6) months to live. The patient must have the capacity to
make medical decisions, have the physical and mental ability to self-administer
the aid-in-dying medication, and must voluntarily express the wish to receive a
prescription for the drug. The Act further permits the requesting patient’s
attending physician to inform and counsel the requesting patient in all
available end of life options, and permits such physician to prescribe an
aid-in-dying medication, provided certain specific conditions are met.
After making his or her
diagnosis, an attending physician must refer the patient to a consulting
physician who is (i) independent from the attending physician, and (ii) who is
qualified by experience of specialty training to confirm the attending
physician’s diagnosis, including an assessment of whether the patient has the
capacity to make medical decisions, is acting voluntarily, and has made an
informed decision regarding aid-in-dying medication.
Physician Participation in the Act is Voluntary
When a
physician diagnoses a patient with a terminal illness, the physician is
generally required to inform the patient of his or her right to receive
counseling regarding end of life options and, at the patient’s request, must provide such information and
counseling. However, the Act expressly allows physicians to refuse to
provide counseling to patients specifically regarding aid-in-dying medication
for reasons of conscience, morality, or ethics (“Conscience Exception”).
Employers May Prohibit Employees From Engaging in End of Life Activities—To
An Extent
Importantly,
the Conscience Exception also allows healthcare organizations to opt-out of
participation in activities authorized by the Act and to, moreover, prohibit its employees and independent contractors from
participating in end of life activities authorized by the Act
when such persons are:
·
On premises owned by, or under the direct control and management of, the
prohibiting healthcare organization (whether as an employer or independent
contractor); or
·
Acting within the course and scope of any employment by, or contract with,
such prohibiting healthcare organization, whether on or off the organization’s
premises.
Healthcare organizations that
elect to enact prohibitions utilizing the Act’s Conscience Exception must first
provide notice of such policy to affected employees and contractors. An
employer healthcare organization that fails to provide such notice to an employee
cannot enforce its policy against such employee.
Physicians’ Rights to Provide End of Life Options to Terminally-Ill
Patients
Employer healthcare
organizations cannot prohibit end of life activities authorized by the Act if
the physician conducts those activities either:
·
On premises not owned
by, or under the direct control and management of the prohibiting employer; or
·
While acting outside of
his/her professional responsibilities with the prohibiting employer.
Additionally,
irrespective of any policy or prohibition put forward by an employer healthcare
organization, the Act expressly allows physicians
to perform the following end of life professional services, even if the
services are rendered on the premises of the prohibiting employer:
·
Diagnose whether a patient has a terminal disease;
·
Inform the patient of the prognosis;
·
Determine whether the patient has the capacity to make decisions regarding
end of life options;
·
Provide the patient with information regarding the Act; and
·
Provide the patient with a referral to another provider for the purposes of
participating in end of life activities authorized by the Act, upon the
patient’s request.
Conclusion
Physicians and medical groups
that contract with healthcare organizations should confirm each organization’s
policy regarding the Act to ensure that it reflects the rights and obligations
outlined herein. Additional guidance—and controversy—is sure to emerge
following the June 9 effective date. We will continue to monitor developments
in this area on behalf of our clients and welcome your questions or comments.
*Samuel Gilkeson is a summer associate
in Sheppard Mullin’s Century City office.
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