Registry to Improve Access to Advance Directive Documents and Help Eliminate Barriers of Communicating End-of-life Care Wishes for Arizonans

PHOENIX, Ariz. (June 15, 2021) – Health Current, Arizona’s health information exchange (HIE), today announced the selection of Care Directives as its vendor of choice to develop the new Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry (AzHDR). The AzHDR is designed to help honor patients’ end-of-life healthcare wishes by providing seamless access to advance directives across the continuum of care.

During the 2019 legislative session, the Arizona Senate passed S.B. 1352, giving healthcare providers the ability to have real-time access to patients’ wishes when they need it most. The bill improved provider access to advance directives by moving the healthcare directives registry from its current location within the Secretary of State’s office to Health Current.

The AzHDR will provide a reliable and safe place to complete, upload, store and make accessible Arizonans’ advance directives so end-of-life care will be guided by one’s wishes. The secure and confidential registry provides peace of mind to registrants and their loved ones and offers easy access for healthcare providers, ensuring that wishes documented are wishes honored.

“We are eager and excited to work with Care Directives on this critically important service that promises to help eliminate the barriers of communicating what healthcare and treatment decisions should be made if you are unable to communicate these wishes,” said Melissa Kotrys, CEO of Health Current. “Their innovative technology solution, combined with the positive impact it will have on Arizonans’ lives, made Care Directives an ideal partner for this initiative,” she added.

Care Directives’ technology repository bridges the gap between collecting and connecting advance directive documents (like living wills, health care power of attorney forms and pre-hospital medical care directives, often known as Do Not Resuscitate orders or DNRs) to various professionals in real-time and at the point-of-care. Other benefits of the platform include:

• Seamless connections to healthcare providers
• Access to real-time data
• Queries for the most current documents at the point of registration

To plan and develop the new registry, Health Current called upon numerous end-of-life (EOL) industry leaders from across the state – and they delivered. To date, over 30 passionate EOL partners have donated their valuable 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 to break down silos to ensure people receive the care they desire at the end of life.”

To learn more and fill out an interest form, visit healthcurrent.org/azhdr.

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About Health Current
Health Current 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 Care Directives
Care Directives bridges the gap between medical providers and care settings by eliminating barriers to communication for patients’ end-of-life wishes. Care Directives’ Advance Directive information Exchange (ADiE) is a cloud-based agnostic solution that integrates into existing workflows across all care settings. Based in Southern California, Care Directives is proven to streamline critical transitions of care, improve coordination across diverse teams, respect patient wishes, and reduce undesired care and suffering. For more information, visit caredirectives.org.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Bill Staples, MBA
Director of Marketing & Communications
Health Current
bill.staples@healthcurrent.org