§ 15-18.7-101 — Legislative declaration

Colorado § 15-18.7-101

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 15: Probate,
• Art.: Directives Concerning Orders

Text

(1) The general assembly hereby finds
that:

(a) Colorado law has traditionally recognized the right of an adult or his or
her authorized surrogate decision-maker to accept or reject medical treatment and
artificial nutrition or hydration;

(b) Each adult has the right to establish, in advance of the need for medical
treatment, directives and instructions for the administration of medical treatment in
the event the adult later lacks the decisional capacity to provide informed consent
to, withdraw from, or refuse medical treatment;

(c) Current instruments for making advance medical directives are often
underutilized, hampered by certain institutional barriers, and inconsistently
interpreted and implemented; and

(d) The frail elderly, chronically or terminally ill, and nursing home resident
population is in particular need of a consistent method for identifying and
communicating critical treatment preferences that each sector of the health-care
community will recognize and follow.

(2) The general assembly therefore concludes that it is in the best interests
of the people of Colorado to adopt statutes providing for medical orders for scope
of treatment. Consistent with the goal of enhancing patient-centered,
compassionate care through methods to enhance continuity across health-care
settings, medical orders for scope of treatment will provide a process for timely
discussion between individuals and their health-care providers about choices to
accept, withdraw, or refuse life-sustaining treatment and, through the use of
standardized forms, will ensure those preferences are clearly and unequivocally
documented.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2010: Entire article added, (HB 10-1122), ch. 279, p. 1275, � 1, effective August 11.