MOLST: Meeting the Challenge

Honoring Choices has embarked on a year-long initiative to open up a dialogue with consumers and care providers about MOLST and getting the best possible care all through your serious illness journey.

Graphic of phases from diagnosis through hospice and types of care groups that help.

What's MOLST?

MOLST or Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment is a powerful consumer planning tool and a medical order for adults who are frail or diagnosed with a serious advancing illness. Clinicians and patients talk about the adult's current medical condition, prognosis and possible treatment options, including the benefits and risks of attempting life-sustaining treatments. Adults choose treatment options that align with their values and priorities to live well with their serious illness, and record their choices for life-sustaining treatments in the MOLST form.

What's Our Challenge?

Consumers will meet many clinicians who will walk with them on their serious illness journey. Our challenge is to build a collaborative process that is responsive to an adult's changing health needs and care choices.  The MOLST process should ensure that every adult will receive quality care, and that your choices will be known and honored whether you are at home, on transfer to a facility, and in all care settings.

Let's Do This Together

Join the discussion! Here are upcoming workshops and up-to-date information, planning tools and discussion guides for both consumers and care providers. Check out our MOLST Challenge Timeline! We'll bring you new developments as they happen to build a more responsive process.

MOLST Workshops for Care Providers & Consumers

Let's talk about what's working well and identify our challenges. We'll provide the latest information and tools. Together we'll generate "Next Steps" to make positive change.

Information & Tools for Effective Discussions

  •  Who's Your Agent?® Tool Kits
  • Serious Illness Care "Community of Practice"
  • The Conversation Project Kits

MOLST Challenge Timeline: What’s Happening!

We are putting your suggestions for change into action. Keep up-to-date on the new developments all year long. Let's work together for statewide and regional change.

Let's Do This Together

Join the discussion! Here are upcoming workshops and up-to-date information, planning tools and discussion guides for both consumers and care providers. Check out our MOLST Challenge Timeline! We'll bring you new developments as they happen to build a more responsive process.

MOLST Workshops for Care Providers & Consumers

Let's talk about what's working well and identify our challenges. We'll provide the latest information and tools. Together we'll generate "Next Steps" to make positive change.

Information & Tools for Effective Discussions

  •  Who's Your Agent?® Tool Kits
  • Serious Illness Care "Community of Practice"
  • The Conversation Project Kits

MOLST Challenge Timeline: What’s Happening!

We are putting your suggestions for change into action. Keep up-to-date on the new developments all year long. Let's work together for statewide and regional change.

Commonly Asked Questions

What makes the MOLST form valid?

Example of the MOLST form, parts D and E

At the April 24 MOLST Workshop, many care professionals expressed concerns that MOLST forms are not being honored consistently in hospital emergency departments or by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel arriving at a residence and on transfer to a facility. The question arose- "What makes page 1 of the MOLST form valid?"

According to the MA MOLST website, in order for page 1 of the MOLST form to be considered valid, “Every part of Sections D and E must be filled in completely and legibly.”  That means marking the circle to indicate who is signing Section D, and all 8 blank lines within the 2 sections must be completely filled out and must be legible and readable by the care professionals honoring the form.  Otherwise page 1 of the MOLST form will not be considered valid. Read more at MA MOLST webpage