How It Works

The U.S. Living Will Registry is a secure, on-line database containing advance directives and organ donor information.  The Community Partner program allows you to register you clients, members or employees.  This is a great low-cost benefit for members and employees, and a value added service for your clients.

• People can register their advance directive and/or organ donor information by several different methods: 
  1. They can register directly from this web site with Direct Registration.  They can purchase registration for themselves, or you can purchase a gift registration for someone else.
  2.  They can register through a participating health care provider, hospital or community partner of the Registry.  Some Providers and Partners provide the service free of charge to their patients, clients, employees and members.  Potential registrants can go to our Search page to see if there are any organizations in their area that offer free registration.  As a Partner, your listing would appear in the search result based on zip code.

• Registrants 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).   The Registry agrees not to release their information to any party other than health care providers, so their personal information is kept private and confidential, just like a medical record.

• The advance directive document is scanned and electronically stored in the Registry's computer along with their emergency contact information.  If the registrant decides that they would rather not store a copy of their actual document on-line, but want it to be available when needed, they can complete and submit the Document Locator Form. This form lists the people and places where their advance directive document can be found if needed.  The Document Locator Form is scanned and stored exactly like an advance directive.  Health care providers who try to access a document from the Registry, will instead receive a locator form, and can then use the information on the form to obtain a copy of the advance directive.

• Registration is confirmed with a letter to the new registrant that contains 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 Partner's name is prominently listed on this letter, reminding the registrant that they are receiving this service as a benefit from the Partner.  This is a great good will marketing tool for the Partner.  An on-line account is also established, which the registrant can use to access and  make changes to their personal information and download, fax or email their document as needed.

• Registrants are contacted annually to confirm that their wishes have not been changed or revoked, and to update personal and emergency contact information.  They are reminded to make changes to personal or emergency contact information using their on-line account.   The Partner's name is also listed prominently in the reminder message.  Registrants can also certify that their document is up to date and still reflects their wishes from the on-line account.   The date of confirmation is provided whenever the document is accessed.  In this way, there is no doubt as to whether the document still reflects their wishes.  This annual update reminder is included with the 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 on-line service to access documents from the Registry.  They can access documents by entering name and birth date, the registration number or the social security number if the registrant provided it (providing the social security # is optional). 

• 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. 

• Registrants can also email or fax their document to the hospital from directly  from their personal handheld smart phone or laptop/tablet computer by accessing their on-line account.

They will have peace of mind knowing that their advance directive is safe, secure, and available to  family and doctors whenever and wherever it is needed. Because providers can simply contact the Registry to see if any patient has an advance directive, they can still retrieve a document, even if the wallet card is not available.

Some people feel uncomfortable giving their advance directive document to their health insurance company or to the federal government.  The U.S. Living Will Registry is an independent organization that simply stores documents securely and makes them available when needed...the Registry has nothing to do with paying for health care, so there is no conflict of interest.

Your clients, members or employees will thank you for giving them the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their wishes will be known if they are incapacitated and unable to speak for themselves.  They will also be thankful that their families will not be burdened; making difficult, guilt-ridden decisions about end of life care.  To find out more information and to become a Partner of the Registry, click here.

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.