LaPOST Products | Registry & Forms

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You may have heard about a new kind of health care directive in Louisiana, called a LaPOST form. A LaPOST form is a portable medical order that helps you keep control over medical care at the end of life. More than a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, the form tells emergency medical personnel and other health care providers whether or not to administer CPR in the event of a medical emergency but also what kinds and locations of treatments are important to you as you approach the end of your life. A LaPOST form may be used in addition to — or instead of — a DNR order. We offer LaPOST documents for purchase and access to the online LaPOST Registry for consumers and providers. To prepare a LaPOST form for yourself or a loved one, talk to your doctor.

LaPost Electronic Registry

As of June 29, 2024, our statewide LaPOST eRegistry was disabled indefinitely, due to a discontinuation of eRegistry services with our vendor. While disappointing, we are confident in the decision to pause the LaPOST registry until we can confidently provide a user-friendly and interoperable platform for all participants.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we evaluate our options for an advance directives registry to serve the State of Louisiana.

Monique Tyler LaPOST Project Coordinator mtyler@lhcqf.org

LaPost Document Forms

The Louisiana Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (LaPOST) Document is designed to communicate end-of-life care plans for patients with serious, advance illnesses. Completion of a LaPOST document is strictly voluntary. The LaPOST document should be completed by the patient and his/ her physician; both the patient and the physician must sign the LaPOST document in order for it to be valid.

The 8.5" x 11" (letter-sized) document is double-sided, printed on gold paper and padded for your convenience. Each pad contains 100 sheets. View a sample document here.

How to Order LaPOST Forms:

One (1) Pad • Free + $10.00 S/H
Two (2) Pads • Free + $18.00 S/H

We impose a surcharge 3% on credit card purchases

Monique Tyler LaPOST Project Coordinator mtyler@lhcqf.org

Order Forms

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

How to Make a LaPOST Form

A health care professional can help you create a LaPOST form if you enter a medical facility or health care setting -- such as a physician office or clinic, hospital, nursing home, or hospice care in a facility or at home. To be legally valid, the LaPOST form must be signed by a doctor. (Louisiana Statutes § 1299.64.2.) You or your legally appointed health care decision maker must also sign the LaPOST form to verify that you understand the orders.

If a member of the medical staff does not ask you whether you want to create a LaPOST form, you may ask for one.

The LaPOST form is usually printed on bright gold paper so it will easily stand out in your medical records or with important documents at your home setting. The form travels with you if you move from one health care setting to another. You can change it or cancel it at any time. We also have an electronic registry of these documents which are available for any health care setting through a web portal.

How Does a LaPOST Form Differ

A LaPOST form differs from a DNR order in one important way: The LaPOST form represents a conversation about the type of care you would want when you have a life limiting illness in addition to instructions about whether to attempt resuscitation. This type of care includes instructions on the use of ventilators and other types of breathing support or other interventions, and artificial hydration and nutrition through a tube into the stomach. The LaPOST form helps medical providers understand your wishes at a glance, but it is not a substitute for a properly prepared legal documents such as the advance directive (living will) and durable power of attorney for health care.

Taken together, an advance directive (living will) and durable power of attorney for health care can provide additional information including details about your health care agent and more complete health care wishes, as well as some include your preference for organ donation. Therefore, if you have a LaPOST form, you should still complete additional health care directives to provide a full set of documents about your care.

Other Health Care Directives

You need to consider a LaPOST document only if you're facing a life limiting or serious medical condition. If you're healthy, you need an advance directive and power of attorney for health care to provide guidelines for your treatment in the event of an unexpected accident or medical crisis.

On the other hand, a patient diagnosed with a life limiting or serious illness or frailty that requires care in a medical setting -- or ongoing care at home -- may need a LaPOST form in addition to traditional health care directives. That’s because an advance directive and durable power of attorney for health care are not enough to guide medical personnel regarding wanted care and treatments in an emergency. For that, it's important to have a PORTABLE MEDICAL ORDER such as a LaPOST. If you feel strongly that you don’t want emergency measures at the end of life -- or if you’re caring for someone who feels that way -- find out about completing an LaPOST in addition to traditional health care directives.