About The Indiana Patient Preferences Coalition
The Indiana Patient Preferences Coalition promotes education, resources, and advocacy in support of high quality advance care planning that upholds the personal dignity and values of Indiana residents nearing the end of life.
2010 – The group first formed to explore the development of the Indiana version of the POLST Paradigm (www.polst.org).
2012 – Legislation to create the Indiana POST introduced by Representative Tim Brown, MD (R – Crawfordsville).
2013 – Indiana POST legislation reintroduced by Representative Brown as HB 1182. It passed unanimously in the House (95 to 0) and nearly unanimously in the Senate (48 to 1) before being signed into law, taking effect July 1, 2013.
2016 – A revised version of the Indiana POST Form was issued by the Indiana State Department of Health in December 2016.
2018 – Legislation introduced by Representative Cindy Kirchhofer (R – District 89) to update the POST legislation and modify the Indiana Health Care Consent Act. HB 1119 passed unanimously in the House (91 – 0) and Senate (49-0), taking effect July 1, 2018.
2020 – Legislation introduced by Representative Cindy Kirchhofer (R – District 89) to overhaul our advance directive statutes. HB 1317 passed unanimously in the house (94 -0) but was not voted on in the Senate.
2021 – Advance directives overhaul bill revised and reintroduced by Senator Linda Rogers (R – District 11). SB 204 passed unanimously in the Senate (46 – 0) and House (92 – 0), taking effect July 1, 2021.
2023 – The proxy signature bill was introduced by Representative Brad Barrett (R – District 56). HB 1458 passed unanimously in the House (94 – 0) and Senate (47 – 0), taking effect July 1, 2023.
Indianapolis Medical Society Article on POST (reprinted with permission) provides background information about the development of the original Indiana POST legislation.
The IPPC Officers
The following individuals serve as officers for The Indiana Patient Preferences Coalition. Download our bylaws by clicking here.
David Mandelbaum, MD
Medical Director, Palliative Care Services (Retired)
Franciscan Health, Indianapolis
Susan Hickman, PhD
IPPC Associate Director
Director, IU Center for Aging Research, Regenstrief Institute
Professor, Indiana University School of Nursing
Co-Director, IUPUI RESPECT Center
Katie Hougham, HFA, MBA
IPPC Secretary
Associate Vice President of Population Health
Aging and In Home Services of N.E. Indiana
Gerald Walthall, MD
1942-2022
We will be forever grateful to IPPC co-founder Dr. Jerry Walthall, whose tireless service, advocacy, wisdom, humor, and gentle nature touched the lives of so many.
Supporting Organizations
The following organizations provided public support for legislation to create and update the Indiana POST Program & the Indiana Healthcare Consent Act.
