Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 216 - Department of health › Chapter 20 - Community Health › Subchapter 15 - Information for Health Care Professionals › Part 4 - Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (216-RICR-20-15-4) › Section 216-RICR-20-15-4.2 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. Whenever used in these Regulations, the
				  following terms shall be construed as follows:
1. "Act" means R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 23-4.11
				  entitled "Rights of the Terminally Ill Act".
2. "Advance directive protocol" means a
				  standardized, state-wide method developed for emergency medical services
				  personnel by the department of health and approved by the ambulance service
				  advisory board, of providing palliative care to, and withholding
				  life-sustaining procedures from, a qualified patient.
3. "Advance health care directive" means a
				  written document that states an individual's choices for health care or names
				  someone to express those choices the individual if the individual become unable
				  to make health care decisions for themselves. An advance directive may be known
				  as a Living Will, Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, or health care
				  proxy.
4. "Artificial feeding"
				  means the provision of nutrition or hydration by parenteral, nasogastric,
				  gastric or any means other than through per oral voluntary
				  sustenance.
5. "Attending
				  physician" means the physician who has primary responsibility for the treatment
				  and care of the patient.
6.
				  "Declaration" means a witnessed document executed in accordance with the
				  requirements of R.I. Gen. Laws §§
											23-4.11-3 or
				   23-4.11-3.1.
7. "Department" means the Rhode Island
				  Department of Health.
8. "Director"
				  means the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health.
9. "Emergency medical services personnel"
				  means paid or volunteer firefighters, law enforcement officers, first
				  responders, emergency medical technicians, or other emergency services
				  personnel acting within the ordinary course of their professions.
10. "Health care decision maker" means a
				  person authorized by law or by the qualified patient to make health care
				  decisions for the qualified patient. The qualified patient may revoke at any
				  time and in any manner the appointment of a health care decision
				  maker.
11. "Health care facility"
				  means any institutional health service provider, facility or institution,
				  place, building, agency, or portion thereof, whether a partnership or
				  corporation, whether public or private, whether organized for profit or not,
				  used, operated, or engaged in providing health care services, as defined in
				  R.I. Gen. Laws §
											23-17-2(6).
12. "Health care provider" means a person who
				  is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized by the law of Rhode Island to
				  administer health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a
				  profession.
13. "Life sustaining
				  procedure" means any medical procedure or intervention that, when administered
				  to a qualified patient, will serve only to prolong the dying process. "Life
				  sustaining procedure" shall not include any medical procedure or intervention
				  considered necessary by the attending physician to provide comfort and care or
				  alleviate pain.
14. "Medical orders
				  for life sustaining treatment" or "MOLST" means a voluntary request that
				  directs a health care provider regarding resuscitative and life-sustaining
				  measures.
15. "Medical orders for
				  life sustaining treatment form" or "MOLST Form" means a document which directs
				  health care providers regarding resuscitative and life-sustaining
				  measures.
16. "MOLST qualified
				  health care provider" means the physician, registered nurse practitioner, or
				  physician assistant who is authorized by the patient to sign a MOLST
				  form.
17. "Physician assistant"
				  means a person licensed as a physician assistant under R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter
				  5-54.
18. "Person" means an
				  individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership,
				  association, government, governmental subdivision or agency, or any other legal
				  entity.
19. "Physician" means an
				  individual licensed to practice medicine under R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter
				  5-37.
20. "Qualified patient" means
				  a patient who has executed a declaration in accordance with the Act and these
				  Regulations, and who has been determined by the attending physician to be in a
				  terminal condition.
21. "Registered
				  nurse practitioner" means a person licensed as such under R.I. Gen. Laws
				  Chapter 5-34.
22. "Reliable
				  documentation" means a standardized, state-wide form of identification such as
				  a nontransferable necklace or bracelet of uniform design, adopted by the
				  director of health, with consultation from the local community emergency
				  medical services agencies and licensed hospice and home health agencies, that
				  signifies and certifies that a valid and current declaration is on file and
				  that the individual is a qualified patient.
23. "Request regarding resuscitative and life
				  sustaining measures" means a written document, signed by:
a. A qualified patient with capacity, or a
				  recognized health care decision maker; and
b. The MOLST qualified health care provider,
				  which directs a health care provider regarding resuscitative and life
				  sustaining measures. Such a request regarding resuscitative and life sustaining
				  measures is a medical order.
24. "R.I. Gen. Laws" means the General Laws
				  of Rhode Island, as amended.
25.
				  "Terminal condition" means an incurable or irreversible condition that, without
				  the administration of life sustaining procedures, will, in the opinion of the
				  attending physician, result in death.
26. "These Regulations" means all parts of
				  Rhode Island rules and regulations pertaining to Medical Orders for Life
				  Sustaining Treatment.
27. "Updating
				  a MOLST form" means to revise an existing MOLST form by voiding the existing
				  form and completing a new MOLST form in accordance with these
				  Regulations.