Leadership and Policy Guidance

Nearly 90% of people who consider or complete medical aid in dying in the United States are enrolled in hospice or palliative care at the time of death. The Academy walks alongside hospice teams on this path, offering clear leadership and practical policy guidance for caring well for patients considering or completing aid in dying.

Questions about laws, hospice rules, and CMS compliance?
Visit our page to learn what laws and CMS regulations say about what hospice staff can and can’t do in medical aid in dying cases, including specific state-by-state information.
9 Best Practices for hospices caring for patients considering aid in dying.
These nine points are designed to guide hospices in delivering excellent care to patients considering or completing aid in dying, ensuring a safe and peaceful process for them and their loved ones, no matter how the patient dies. The focus is on patient care rather than the aid-in-dying prescription; none of these elements require hospices to opt in or allow their providers to act as attending prescribers.
Overview in Aid-in-Dying Care: Seven essential courses
Our free online series gives frontline clinicians the essential information they need to confidently care for patients who are considering or completing medical aid in dying—from the first inquiry through the last breath. Free to view; continuing education credit or certificates of completion are available for purchase.
Develop a Subject Matter Expert on your team.
Equip a key hospice nurse, social worker, or spiritual care provider to be your team’s subject‑matter expert in evidence-based best practices for aid‑in‑dying care.
from The Journal of Aid-in-dying Medicine: ASFRA: A Pathway to Compliance for Hospices
By Kevin J. Malone, JD, and William Walters, JD
from The Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine: Hospice Policies On Medical Aid in Dying: Current Practices and Recent Progress
by Thalia DeWolf, RN, and Richard Width, RN
from American Journal of Nursing: Hopsice Nurse Ethics and Institutional Policies Towards Medical Aid in Dying
“Institutional policy requiring nurses to leave the room while a patient ingests aid-in-dying medication risks violating professional nursing standards, reinforces stigma regarding medical aid in dying, and potentially abandons patients and loved ones at a critical time in their passage toward a desired and legal death.”

Teaching and supporting best practices for the care of patients considering or completing medical aid in dying.

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