MEDICAL FUTILITY POLICY                                                                             S.B. 165:

                                                                                               COMMITTEE SUMMARY

Senate Bill 165 (as introduced 2-7-13)

Sponsor:  Senator Jim Marleau

Committee:  Health Policy

Date Completed:  3-7-13

CONTENT

The bill would add Part 204, the "Medical Good-Faith Provisions Act", to the Public Health Code to do the following:

-- Prohibit a health facility or agency from establishing a medical futility policy unless it was in writing.

-- Require a health facility or agency that maintained a medical futility policy that applied to the treatment of a patient or resident from birth to age 18 to provide a copy upon request to a patient or resident, prospective patient or resident, or parent or legal guardian of any of those people.

"Medical futility policy" would mean a policy that encourages or allows a health facility or agency employee, or other health care professional who provides medical treatment or care to patients or residents at a health facility or agency, to withhold or discontinue medical treatment or care for a patient or resident based on medical futility.  "Medical futility" would mean a judgment that further medical treatment of a patient or resident would have no useful result. 

Proposed MCL 333.20401-333.20405                                Legislative Analyst:  Julie Cassidy

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

                                                                                        Fiscal Analyst:  Josh Sefton

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.