ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR., Governor                            S.B. 352

vetoed Senate Bill 352 - Health Care Decisions - "Patient's Plan of Care" Form -
Communication of Patient Preferences.

This bill authorizes specified health care providers to prepare specified forms under
specified circumstances; requiring the Office of the Attorney General to develop a
"Patient's Plan of Care" form that summarizes the plan of care for an individual;
specifying that the form is voluntary; requiring the form to be consistent with
specified health care decisions; providing that the form may be completed by a health
care provider under supervision.

House Bill 556, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed by me on May
26, 2004, accomplishes the same purpose. Therefore, it is not necessary for me to sign
Senate Bill 352.

Very truly yours,
Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.
Governor

Senate Bill No. 352

AN ACT concerning

Medical Records—Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment
Health Care Decisions - "Patient's Plan of Care" Form - Communication of

Patient Preferences

FOR the purpose of authorizing certain health care providers to prepare certain forms
under certain circumstances; requiring the Office of the Attorney General to
develop a "Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment Patient's Plan of
Care" form that documents certain treatment preferences of an individual
summarizes the plan of care for an individual; specifying that the form is
voluntary; requiring the form to be consistent with certain health care decisions
of certain individuals; providing that the form may be completed by a health
care provider under certain supervision; requiring the form to be signed by a
certain health care provider and to contain a certain statement under certain
circumstances, to be signed by certain individuals, to include certain contact
information, to be dated, to contain certain statements, and to designate under
which conditions the form shall be reviewed or modified; requiring a health care
provider to comply with the form; requiring the Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene to print and distribute the form; requiring the Department, in
consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and certain other groups, to
adopt certain regulations review the form as part of a certain process; requiring
the Office of the Attorney General to consult with certain entities in developing
the form; requiring certain facilities to offer to certain individuals the
opportunity to prepare the form; and generally relating to the "Physician Orders
for Life Sustaining Treatment Patient's Plan of Care" form.

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments,
Article - Health - General
Section 4-301(a) and (g), 5-608(a), and 5-609

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