Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly hereby finds that: (a) Colorado law has traditionally recognized the right of an adult or his or her authorized surrogate decision-maker to accept or reject medical treatment and artificial nutrition or hydration; (b) Each adult has the right to establish, in advance of the need for medical treatment, directives and instructions for the administration of medical treatment in the event the adult later lacks the decisional capacity to provide informed consent to, withdraw from, or refuse medical treatment; (c) Current instruments for making advance medical directives are often underutilized, hampered by certain institutional barriers, and inconsistently interpreted and implemented; and (d) The frail elderly, chronically or terminally ill, and nursing home resident population is in particular need of a consistent method for identifying and communicating critical treatment preferences that each sector of the health-care community will recognize and follow. (2) The general assembly therefore concludes that it is in the best interests of the people of Colorado to adopt statutes providing for medical orders for scope of treatment. Consistent with the goal of enhancing patient-centered, compassionate care through methods to enhance continuity across health-care settings, medical orders for scope of treatment will provide a process for timely discussion between individuals and their health-care providers about choices to accept, withdraw, or refuse life-sustaining treatment and, through the use of standardized forms, will ensure those preferences are clearly and unequivocally documented.