Idaho POST Form: Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment Explained

If someone you love has a serious or terminal illness, you have probably heard the term "POST form" from a hospital discharge planner, hospice nurse, or care facility administrator. Idaho's POST — Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment — is one of the most misunderstood documents in end-of-life planning, and confusing it with a living will or a DNR can lead to dangerous gaps in care.

What the POST Form Actually Is

A POST is not a planning document you draft at home. It is a set of direct medical orders signed by an authorized healthcare provider — a physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). These orders translate your treatment preferences into binding clinical instructions that emergency responders and hospital staff must follow immediately.

The POST form covers:

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — attempt or do not attempt
• Medical interventions — full treatment, selective treatment, or comfort-focused treatment only
• Artificially administered nutrition — long-term feeding tubes, trial periods, or none
• Antibiotics — full course, limited use, or comfort-only

Both the provider and the patient (or their legal healthcare agent) sign the form. Once completed, it is uploaded to the Idaho Healthcare Directive Registry so any treating facility can access it instantly.

POST vs. DNR: They Are Not the Same Thing

Many Idaho families use "POST" and "DNR" interchangeably. They are fundamentally different:

In Idaho, a standalone DNR is now handled through the POST framework. If you want a Do Not Resuscitate order, you need a completed POST form — not a separate document.

The Comfort One Program: Still Valid but Replaced

Before 2007, Idaho used the "Comfort One" program for out-of-hospital DNR orders. If your parent has an old Comfort One bracelet or card signed before July 1, 2007, it remains legally valid. However, emergency medical services may not recognize it as readily as the current POST form, which could lead to unwanted resuscitation attempts during a crisis.

If a family member still carries Comfort One documentation, schedule an appointment with their physician to convert those preferences into a current POST form. The updated document eliminates any ambiguity for paramedics and ER staff.

Who Should Have a POST Form

The POST form is designed for people with serious, progressive, or terminal illnesses — not for healthy adults doing routine advance planning. If you are generally healthy, a Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care covers your needs. The POST becomes relevant when:

• A physician has diagnosed a terminal or life-limiting condition
• The patient is transitioning to hospice care
• An assisted living facility or nursing home requires clinical orders upon admission
• The patient is elderly and frail with multiple chronic conditions

How to Get a POST Form in Idaho

You cannot download and fill out a POST form yourself — it must be initiated through your healthcare provider. Here is the process:

1. Request a conversation with the attending physician, PA, or APRN about goals of care
2. Discuss specific scenarios — cardiac arrest, ventilator support, feeding tubes, antibiotic use
3. The provider completes the form based on your stated preferences
4. Both parties sign — the provider and the patient (or their healthcare agent)
5. Upload to the registry — the provider submits the completed POST to the Idaho Healthcare Directive Registry at the Department of Health and Welfare

Keep the original POST form in a visible, accessible location — many families place it on the refrigerator or in a bedside medical folder. Paramedics look for it when they arrive.

How the POST Connects to Your Advance Directive

Your advance directive and your POST form work together but serve different functions. The advance directive is a legal document expressing your wishes. The POST translates those wishes into actionable medical orders that providers must follow without delay.

Having one without the other leaves gaps. A living will alone may not be immediately accessible or actionable in an ER. A POST alone does not name who can make decisions if new medical situations arise beyond what the form covers.

The Idaho Advance Directive & Living Will Kit helps you prepare the foundational documents — living will, healthcare agent designation, and registry upload — so that when you sit down with your physician to complete the POST form, you already have a clear framework of preferences to discuss.

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