How It Works

• People register their advance directive and/or organ donor information by registering through a member Health Care Provider or Partner, some Providers and Partners provide the service free of charge to their patients, clients, employees and members.  They complete a Registration Agreement that gives the Registry permission to send a copy of their document to any health care provider (hospitals, doctors, skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, home health agencies, providers of home health care, ambulatory surgery centers, and hospices). Once registered, you are registered for life.  The Registry agrees not to release your information to any party other than health care providers, so your personal information is kept private and confidential, just like a medical record.

• The document is electronically stored in the Registry's computer along with the registrant's emergency contact information.

• The registrant is sent confirmation of their registration and labels to affix to their insurance card & driver's license, stating that their advance directive is registered, and a wallet card listing their Registration #.

• The registrant is contacted annually by mail to confirm that the advance directive has not been changed or revoked, and to update personal and emergency contact information.  The registrant makes any changes to personal or emergency contact information, signs the letter confirming that their advance directive has not been changed or revoked, and mails the letter back to the Registry.  The date of confirmation is listed on the new wallet card, and is provided whenever the document is accessed.  In this way, there is no doubt as to whether the document still represents the registrant's wishes.  This annual update is included in the life time registration; there is never a charge to the registrant for annual updates or for continued registration. 

• Health Care Providers can contact the Registry 24 hours a day to gain access to advance directives, organ donor information and emergency contact information, or simply  to inquire as to whether any patient has an advance directive.  Member health care providers can use the automated service to request documents from the Registry by telephone (1-800-LIV-WILL) or via the secure Internet web site. Member health care providers are assigned Identification Numbers and Access Codes to use when contacting the Registry.  Providers have the option of receiving documents from the Registry by fax or via encrypted Internet transmission.  By gaining secure access to the Registry's automated system and entering the patient's registration #, health care providers can retrieve a copy of an advance directive, along with emergency contact and organ donor information in a matter of seconds.  If they don't have the registration #, they can easily search for the document using last name and birth date, or by social security # if available. 

• Health care providers that are not members of the Registry can access documents via secure Internet site, by entering the Registration # from the wallet card.  If the wallet card is not available, they can obtain the document by phone.  The Provider simply contacts the Registry by phone, and provides information about their facility and about the person whose document they are trying to retrieve.  Registry personnel will perform a manual transmission of the document. 

Simply register your advance directive with U.S. Living Will Registry by filling out a form that gives the Registry permission to send a copy to health care providers (hospitals, doctors, skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, home health agencies, providers of home health care, ambulatory surgery facilities, and hospices). You must agree to inform the Registry if you ever decide to change your advance directive. The Registry electronically stores your advance directive in its computer and identifies it by a unique Registration #, and at the registrant's option, their social security #.  Health care providers can access documents using either the Registration # found on the wallet card, by social security # (hospitals almost always have the social security # because they use it for billing purposes), or by a search of last name and birth date.  This triple access mechanism provides for maximum availability of your document whenever and wherever it is needed.  Health  care providers can contact the computer by telephone or via a secure Internet site to request a copy of your advance directive. The computer securely transmits a copy of your document to the health care provider, and it is kept as part of your confidential medical record. 

Some people are uncomfortable providing their social security number to us.  We keep the number completely confidential and it is never released.  However, providing the number is  optional.  If you do not provide your social security number, your document will be identified only by the unique Registration #.  It can be accessed with your wallet card or by a search of name and birth date. 

You will have peace of mind knowing that your advance directive is safe, secure, and available to your family and doctors whenever and wherever it is needed. And because providers can simply contact the Registry to see if any patient has an advance directive, they can still retrieve your document, even if you don't have your card.

How to Prepare and Register an Advance Directive

If you already have an advance directive, follow the simple directions which follow for registering it.

If you do not have an advance directive, think about the kinds of medical treatment you wish to have, or not have, if you are incapacitated, and discuss them with your chosen decision-maker and your family. Next, formalize your wishes in an advance directive. For assistance in preparing your advance directive, visit your local hospital, ask an attorney, or visit the Advance Directive Forms or  Internet Resources pages on this site. Some of the organizations listed in the resources section provide state-specific advance directive forms which you can download or request by mail or telephone.

Make sure your choices and personal philosophy about medical treatments are clearly stated in your advance directive.

To Register Your Advance Directive

Visit the "How to Register" page for instructions on how to register your advance directive.

You will receive confirmation when your advance directive is processed.

To read comments from registrants and attorneys, visit the “Testimonials” page..

Born of Necessity...

U.S. Living Will Registry^® was founded by Joseph T. Barmakian, M.D., a New Jersey Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon. Dr. Barmakian has witnessed the ordeal of patients' families as they confront the painful, guilt-ridden decisions of life support and medical treatment. He has also felt the frustration of doctors who don't have access to patients' wishes. It was in 1996 that Dr. Barmakian first recognized the need for a registry service that not only recorded patients' advance directives, but also made it easier for health care facilities to obtain the information. Dr. Barmakian felt it was critical to establish a system which provides medical personnel and patient's families with advance directives whenever and wherever they are needed while maintaining the patient's privacy and confidentiality. U.S. Living Will Registry^® fulfills these criteria, providing easy, 24-hour access to patients' wishes.