How do health care providers know that the advance directive they receive from the Registry is up to date?
The Registry contacts each registrant every year to have them confirm that their advance directive, personal information and emergency contact information have not changed. The date of the last update to each registrant’s information is printed on the coversheet that the provider receives when they request your advance directive. With this system, your confirmed document and information should always be less than one year old. By their very nature, advance directives are prepared well in advance of when they may be needed. So even if your document is available, if it is very old, there could be some question as to whether it still reflects your wishes. The Registry sends a letter every year to each registrant that allows them to update their personal and emergency contact information, and to confirm that their advance directive has not been changed or revoked. The date of this confirmation is recorded on the wallet card and on the coversheet provided to health care providers when they
