Worcester Area Demonstration Project
The MOLST Steering Committee chose the Greater Worcester area for the MOLST demonstration because of its size (second largest city in Massachusetts), its number and diversity of health care providers, and its ongoing community-based work toward improving end of life care.
Site-level planning began in 2009 and the Massachusetts MOLST process and form went into use in select demonstration sites in April 2010.
The demonstration program will continue through December 2010 with a concurrent evaluation to assess lessons learned and develop recommendations for a state-wide expansion of MOLST.
MOLST is being implemented in the following demonstration sites:
Acute care
- St. Vincent Hospital
- UMass Memorial Medical Center
Managed primary care
- Fallon Clinic
Nursing homes, home health care and hospice care
- Jewish Healthcare Center and Hospice
- Notre Dame Long Term Care Center and Hospice
- Shrewsbury Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
- UMass Memorial Home Health and Hospice
- VNA Care Hospice
EMS services
- All EMTs througout Massachusetts are required to honor valid MOLST instructions
Preparation for MOLST implementation included the following:
- Individual interviews and group meetings with health professionals, consumers and other stakeholders to inform the development of the Massachusetts MOLST form
- Consumer focus groups and interviews to inform the development of MOLST consumer outreach and education strategies and materials
- Training for MOLST signers (physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) and other health professionals (nurses, EMTs, social workers, others) in the demonstration sites about the MOLST process and form
- Outreach and education to other health providers and stakeholders in Greater Worcester
- Outreach and education to inform potential consumers (patients and their families and caregivers) and consumer advocates in Greater Worcester about the MOLST program
- MOLST launch event for Worcester-area health professionals, consumers and other stakeholders on February 10, 2010
- Establishing this website for public access to MOLST information, resources and materials
- Evaluation and quality improvement activities to test the efficacy of the demonstration program and make recommendations for establishing a state-wide MOLST program
