Advance Health Care Directive Registry - Health Care Decisions - Probate - CA

Section § 4800

California's Secretary of State is responsible for setting up a registry where people can register their advance health care directives, which are documents stating their wishes for medical care if they're unable to communicate. The registry information can be accessed by health care providers, public guardians, or legal representatives when necessary, but they must explain why they need it. Hospitals can get this info quickly if there's an emergency.

The information stored in this registry includes the person's contact details, birth details, and specifics about their advance health care directive. Social security numbers are kept private unless needed to confirm someone's identity. When you register, you get an ID card showing your directive is on file, and the costs for this are covered by a registration fee.

If needed, the Secretary of State can also share your advance directive information with another state's registry if you or your representative ask for it. The fee charged to use this service covers the actual costs of maintaining the system.

(a) The Secretary of State shall establish a registry system through which a person who has executed a written advance health care directive may register in a central information center, information regarding the advance directive, making that information available upon request to any health care provider, the public guardian, or the legal representative of the registrant. A request for information pursuant to this section shall state the need for the information.

(b) The Secretary of State shall respond by the close of business on the next business day to a request for information made pursuant to Section 4717 by the emergency department of a general acute care hospital.

(c) Information that may be received is limited to the registrant’s name, social security number, driver’s license number, or other individual identifying number established by law, if any, address, date and place of birth, the registrant’s advance health care directive, an intended place of deposit or safekeeping of a written advance health care directive, and the name and telephone number of the agent and any alternative agent. Information that may be released upon request may not include the registrant’s social security number except when necessary to verify the identity of the registrant.

(d) When the Secretary of State receives information from a registrant, the secretary shall issue the registrant an Advance Health Care Directive Registry identification card indicating that an advance health care directive, or information regarding an advance health care directive, has been deposited with the registry. Costs associated with issuance of the card shall be offset by the fee charged by the Secretary of State to receive and register information at the registry.

(e) The Secretary of State, at the request of the registrant or his or her legal representative, shall transmit the information received regarding the written advance health care directive to the registry system of another jurisdiction as identified by the registrant, or his or her legal representative.

(f) The Secretary of State shall charge a fee to each registrant in an amount such that, when all fees charged to registrants are aggregated, the aggregated fees do not exceed the actual cost of establishing and maintaining the registry.

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Section § 4801

This law requires the Secretary of State to set up ways to check the identities of health care providers, public guardians, and other authorized people who ask for information under Section 4800. Also, these individuals won’t be charged any fees when they request such information.

The Secretary of State shall establish procedures to verify the identities of health care providers, the public guardian, and other authorized persons requesting information pursuant to Section 4800. No fee shall be charged to any health care provider, the public guardian, or other authorized person requesting information pursuant to Section 4800.

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Section § 4802

This law requires the Secretary of State to create procedures to inform people who register advance health care directives what they need to do next. First, your health care provider can't follow your written health care instructions until they have a copy. Second, if you cancel your directive, you must tell the registry. Finally, if you create a new directive, you have to register it again.

The Secretary of State shall establish procedures to advise each registrant of the following:

(a) A health care provider may not honor a written advance health care directive until it receives a copy from the registrant.

(b) Each registrant must notify the registry upon revocation of the advance directive.

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Section § 4803

If you don't register your advance health care directive with the Secretary of State, it is still legally valid.

Failure to register with the Secretary of State does not affect the validity of any advance health care directive.

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Section § 4804

Registering your advance health care directive with the Secretary of State doesn’t stop you from changing or canceling it later. Plus, registration doesn’t make your directive automatically more valid or better than any others you may have.

Registration with the Secretary of State does not affect the ability of the registrant to revoke the registrant’s advance health care directive or a later executed advance directive, nor does registration raise any presumption of validity or superiority among any competing advance directives or revocations.

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Section § 4805

This law clarifies that nothing in this section changes a health care provider's responsibility under federal law to inform patients about advance health care directives.

Nothing in this part shall be construed to affect the duty of a health care provider to provide information to a patient regarding advance health care directives pursuant to any provision of federal law.

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Section § 4806

This statute mandates that the Secretary of State collaborates with the State Department of Health Services and the Attorney General's office to create accessible information about end-of-life care, advance health care directives, and the registration process for these directives. The information will be based on what the Attorney General's office has already developed.

This will also ensure that links to this information and the registry are available on the websites of several state agencies, including the Secretary of State, Department of Health Services, Attorney General, Department of Managed Health Care, Department of Insurance, Board of Registered Nursing, and the Medical Board of California.

(a) The Secretary of State shall work with the State Department of Health Services and the office of the Attorney General to develop information about end of life care, advance health care directives, and registration of the advance health care directives at the registry established pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 4800. This information shall be developed utilizing existing information developed by the office of the Attorney General.

(b) Links to the information specified in subdivision (a) and to the registry shall be available on the Web sites of the Secretary of State, the State Department of Health Services, the office of the Attorney General, the Department of Managed Health Care, the Department of Insurance, the Board of Registered Nursing, and the Medical Board of California.

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