Or. Admin. R. 333-270-0050 - Access to the Registry

The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Registry staff, including its Emergency Communication Center staff, will have access to the POLST Registry information as needed to perform registry functions.  Registry staff and the Oregon Health Authority will have access to registry information as needed to conduct program evaluation. A licensed health care provider working in or for a hospital emergency department or acute care unit where a patient is admitted, a licensed ambulance service, or a non-transporting emergency services agency, or a staff person calling on behalf of such person may contact the registry’s emergency communication center and obtain information about a patient currently being treated.

The following may contact the registry’s office to determine whether a patient being treated has a POLST form recorded in the registry, whether the form is current and the POLST orders:

• A physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant who signed and submitted a POLST form to the registry;
• Licensed or accredited long term care facilities, hospice programs, or hospitals;
• A patient’s health care professional; and
• A staff person calling on behalf of any of the above persons.

A patient or a patient’s personal representative may contact the registry to determine if that patient has a POLST form, whether the form is current, and the POLST order.  A person who requests information from the registry who does not have the authority to obtain the information, or obtains the information for fraudulent reasons, may be subject to a civil penalty.