CDPH Releases End of Life Option Act Annual Report

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently released the 2017 End of Life Option Act Annual Report. Recall, the End of Life Option Act became law in June 2016 and allows qualified individuals diagnosed with a terminal disease to obtain and self-administer aid-in-dying drugs. CDPH is required to report annually the number of prescriptions written and number of individuals who died using aid-in-dying drugs.

In 2017, 577 individuals received aid-in-dying drugs under the End of Life Option Act, and 374 people died following ingestion of the prescribed drugs. Of the 374 individuals, 90.4 percent were older than age 60, 95.2 percent were insured, and 83.4 percent were receiving hospice and/or palliative care. The full 2017 End of Life Option Act Annual Report is available here.