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You have put your wishes in writing and have a health
care directive. So why file a copy with the Secretary of State’s
Office? When you file with us no matter where you are, where your agent
is, or where your health care providers are they can have access to your
wishes online. You choose who can access the information, at anytime,
day or night – peace of mind for your family, friends and loved
ones.
ABOUT THE ADVANCE DIRECTIVE REGISTRY
1. What is the Advance Directive Registry?
The Arizona Advance Directive Registry is a place
to store your advance directive – a virtual file cabinet – so
that your advance directive is available when needed.
2. Why keep an Advance Directive in the
Registry?
When you complete an advance directive, and register
it in the Registry, you will receive a membership card containing a member
number and a password. You should give this information to your family
and friends and to your doctor. If you are in an accident or very ill,
and unable to speak for yourself, your advance directive will speak for
you.
If a copy of your advance directive is not readily
available when needed,
the doctors or hospital caring for you can look up your directive in
the Registry and then follow your instructions.
3. Who has access to the Registry?
You decide who has access to your advance directives.
You will have a password and you decide when to share your password.
You might want to give the password to your health care (medical) power
of attorney, to your close family and friends, and to your doctor. No
one can look at your advance directive without your password.
4. What if I am unable to communicate?
If you are unable to communicate, your doctor or
health care provider may use the password on your wallet card to access
the registry and review your advance directive.
5. What Advance Directives are included
in the Registry?
The Arizona State Legislature has defined several
advance directives and these can be included in the Registry:
1. Health Care (Medical) Power of Attorney
2. Mental Health Care Power of Attorney
3. Living Will
6. Why are only these directives acceptable?
These directives are defined by specific Arizona
laws and have special legal status. With a Health Care (Medical) Power
of Attorney and the Mental Health Care Power of Attorney forms, you
appoint someone to make decisions for you if you are incapacitated.
The Living Will form lets you choose health care that you would want
to accept or refuse if you are unable to speak for yourself. Financial
documents, such as a Last Will & Testament, or a Living Trust,
are not accepted into the Arizona Advance Directive Registry. Only
directives that concern your future health care and health care choices
are included. Advance directives may be combined into one large document,
or you may have a separate Living Will, Health Care (Medical) Power
of Attorney, and Mental Health Care Power of Attorney. Many different
forms of these documents are available, and each can be entered into
the registry.
7. What about the Pre-hospital Medical
Care Directive (Orange Form)?
The Pre-Hospital Medical Care Directive, also known
as the Orange form or Orange card, is a special advance directive.
This form says that, if your heart stops beating or if you stop breathing,
that you do NOT want to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
This special form, which is bright orange in color, notifies the paramedics
and emergency medical services people that this choice has been made.
Because the paramedics respond quickly to an emergency medical situation,
the Pre-Hospital Medical Care Directive (Orange form) must be immediately
available for them to see. Pre-Hospital Medical Care Directives (Orange
forms) will not be stored in the Registry, but should be kept “on-hand” in
a person’s home or wallet.
8. What if an Advance Directive gets filed
wrong?
After your advance directive has been stored in
the Registry, you will be asked to “double-check” the filed
information to be sure it has been entered completely and accurately.
You will be asked to notify the Secretary of State’s office that
your advance directive has been stored correctly before the process
is final.
9. What if I change my mind?
You can always change your mind. You just need
to say so to your doctor or to the medical team taking care of you.
As long as you can speak for yourself, you are in charge of your decisions.
If you wish to change your advance directive, you just need to complete
a new one. When you complete a new advance directive, it becomes the
valid one. The advance directive with the most recent date is the one
that will be followed. You must send the new one into the Registry
as soon as you can, so that it can replace the old one on file.
10. What does it cost?
There is no fee for storing your advance directive
in the Registry.
File a copy of your Advance Directive with us as
soon as possible to ensure peace of mind.
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