Bill > HB1281

This bill aims to increase access to the provisions of the Washington death with dignity act. The key changes include: - Expanding the definition of "qualified medical provider" to include physician assistants and advanced registered nurse practitioners, in addition to physicians. - Allowing patients to select the attending or consulting qualified medical provider of their choosing, with some restrictions to ensure independence between the providers. - Reducing the required waiting period between the initial oral request and writing of the prescription from 15 days to 7 days, unless the patient is not expected to survive 7 days or is experiencing intractable suffering. - Requiring hospitals and hospice agencies to submit policies related to end-of-life care and the death with dignity act to the Department of Health, which will then make this information publicly available. Overall, this bill seeks to make the death with dignity process more accessible for eligible patients in Washington state.

Health and Social Services

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1281&Year=2023&Initiative=false