Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About the Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry (AzHDR)
Q. I received a letter from the Arizona Secretary of State stating that the Arizona Advance Directives Registry is being moved to Health Current. What does this mean for my advance directives registered with the state?
A. Health Current, a Contexture organization, is a nonprofit organization that has been working with Arizona healthcare providers since 2007. The 2019 legislation change that is guiding the transition of the registry stated in the statute that the registry would transfer to a health information exchange (HIE). An HIE was chosen due to the recognition that sensitive health information was already being managed by such an entity. Health Current is Arizona’s HIE that helps partners transform care by bringing together communities and information across Arizona. Health Current’s goal is to help providers use information technology to improve people’s lives.
Q. The Arizona Secretary of State is no longer accepting advance directives. Now how do I register my advance directives in the state of Arizona?
A. The Arizona Secretary of State’s office is finalizing the transfer of currently registered advance directive documents to the new Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry (AzHDR) with Health Current. During this interim period, any new documents that are sent to the Secretary of State’s office will be forwarded to Health Current. Health Current is beginning to process these documents. Registrants that had documents with the Secretary of State will receive a letter by late November with instructions on how to set up their new account and access their documents.
Documents that were sent to the Secretary of State after the transfer began will automatically be sent to Health Current. These documents will be reviewed and registrants will then receive a letter with information about the AzHDR, access to log into the system to set up a new account and details about any actions that may be needed on their advance directives. If corrective actions are required on any document, you will be able to make them online within the system or via postal mail.
In the meantime, individuals should continue to share copies of their advance directives with their healthcare providers and those people chosen to make healthcare decisions for them.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to send an email to either azhdr@healthcurrent.org or info@azhdr.org.