Robust Online Resource Offers Advance Care Planning Information and Tools to Help Arizonans Register End-of-Life Wishes

PHOENIX (Feb. 24, 2022) – Health Current, a Contexture organization, Arizona’s health information exchange (HIE), today announced the launch of AzHDR.org, a robust online resource to accompany the new Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry (AzHDR) program.

The new website, designed for providers, professionals who support end-of-life (EOL) decision-making and consumers, makes connecting to the registry simple and finding information about advance directives easy and convenient.

AzHDR.org offers a wealth of advance care planning resources, including how to start difficult conversations about end-of-life care, access to advance directive forms for documenting healthcare preferences and instructions on how to register wishes within the registry. The site features an array of articles, blogs, videos, tools, marketing materials and more.

Health Current became the new home for the AzHDR after 2019 legislation granted the transition of the registry from the Secretary of State’s office to the Arizona HIE to improve healthcare provider access to advance directives.

Launched in the fall of 2021, the AzHDR helps honor patients’ end-of-life healthcare preferences by providing seamless access across the continuum of care to advance directive documents, including:

• Living wills,
• Health care and mental health care power of attorney forms,
• Pre-hospital medical care directives (often known as Do Not Resuscitate orders or DNRs).

The online system provides a reliable and safe place to store and make accessible Arizonans’ advance directives so end-of-life care will be guided by their wishes. The secure and confidential registry provides peace of mind to registrants and offers easy access for participating healthcare providers and other professionals, ensuring that wishes documented are wishes honored.

“We are honored to be part of this important service that helps eliminate the barriers of relaying what healthcare and treatment decisions should be made if you are unable to communicate these wishes,” said Melissa Kotrys, CEO of Contexture, the umbrella organization of Health Current. “The new Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry, along with its associated website, AzHDR.org, will have a positive impact on millions of lives across Arizona.”

To develop the new registry and website, Health Current collaborated with multiple end-of-life (EOL) industry leaders from across the state. Over 30 EOL partners donated their time, energy and expertise to help make the AzHDR a game-changer in how Arizonans complete and share their advance directives.

“Our shared mission is to enhance the way we live by fundamentally changing the way we talk about death,” said Sarah Ascher, associate vice president, End of Life Care Partnership, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. “The AzHDR and Health Current are key to our work in helping break down silos to ensure people receive the care they desire at the end of life.”

To learn more, visit AzHDR.org.

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About Health Current
Health Current, a Contexture organization, is the health information exchange (HIE) that helps partners transform care by bringing together communities and information across Arizona. More complete information leads to better care and better outcomes. It makes healthcare transformation possible. Since 2007, Health Current has worked to become Arizona’s primary resource for information technology and exchange, integrating information with the delivery of care to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Health Current: a partner that gives providers the information they need to make better clinical decisions and keep people healthy. Learn more at healthcurrent.org.

About Contexture
Contexture is a nonprofit, regional organization that provides strategic, technical and administrative support to communities committed to advancing health through information sharing. As the umbrella organization of CORHIO, a health information exchange in Colorado, and Health Current, the Arizona health information exchange, Contexture is the largest health information organization in the Western region. Contexture means the manner of being woven or linked together to form a connected whole. Established in 2021, its mission is to advance individual and community health and wellness through the delivery of actionable information and analysis. Learn more at contexture.org. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn @ContextureHIT.