What Is a MOLST Form? (Maryland)

There’s a form that tells every paramedic, nurse, and doctor exactly what your mother wants — before anyone has to guess.

In Maryland, the MOLST — Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment — turns a person’s treatment wishes into actual medical orders, signed by a clinician: CPR or no CPR, preferences about hospitalization, ventilation, feeding tubes, and more. Unlike an advance directive, which is guidance that must be found and interpreted, MOLST orders travel with the patient and are followed across every setting — home, ambulance, hospital, facility. Maryland requires care facilities to complete one on admission. It’s designed for people with serious illness or frailty — not every healthy adult.

Without clear orders, the default is everything: full resuscitation, full intervention — whether your loved one wanted it or not. The MOLST conversation with the doctor is how a family makes sure the last chapter follows her wishes, not the default settings.

This has been Care Without Crisis Explains, presented by Vanguard Care Solutions.

For more free videos and family resources — or when you’re ready to talk about care at home — visit vanguardcaresolutions.com or call 301-327-1444.