SOS: Livingwill Lockbox Electronic Filing System

Secretary Of State Ross Miller Announces Five-Year Anniversary of 'Advanced Directives Registry' at LivingWillLockbox.com 

 

Living Wills, DNRs and Other Advance Directives Is Immediately Available to Authorized Health Care Providers for Emergency and End-of-Life Care

Posted Date: 3/18/2013

 

(Carson City, NV; March 18, 2013) - The Living Will Lockbox, Nevada's advanced directive electronic filing system, marks its fifth anniversary on March 25, 2013. Since its inception, nearly 6,500 registrants, 50 hospitals and medical groups, and nearly 50 law firms throughout Nevada use the Living Will Lockbox. Secretary of State Ross Miller encourages Nevadans to take advantage of this free service.

The Living Will Lockbox offers free electronic storage for living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders (DNRs), and other advance directives for end-of-life or emergency care in order to make those documents immediately available to health care providers. The Secretary of State's office designed the secure, web-based registry to electronically store advance directive documents with password-restricted access. Advance directive documents typically contain such information as limitations on treatment, type or level of care, and organ or tissue donor instructions.

"Everyone should consider filing an advance directive to ensure that their wishes for treatment and care are known and can be honored," said Secretary Miller. "Such documents are useless if they are not available when it is time for that treatment or care to be provided. Whenever necessary, Nevadans and authorized health care providers will be able to easily access the documents quickly. That means better care for patients, and clear direction for health care providers. The Living Will Lockbox is about providing Nevadans with the assurance that their wishes regarding the course of their medical treatment will be made available."

Nevadans can download the registration forms at www.LivingWillLockbox.com and send the completed forms and documents to be filed with the Living Will Lockbox to the Nevada Secretary of State. Those without internet access can request to receive the registration forms by mail at 702-486-2887. Hospitals, hospices and other care giving institutions can also download registration forms online and mail or fax their completed forms to the Secretary of State's office, which then sends a confirmation letter with log-in information.

Once registered, individuals will receive a wallet-size card with their password for accessing their advance directives. Changes to the documents may be made at any time through a simple procedure similar to the registration process.

The Nevada Living Will Lockbox was established by the 2007 Nevada State Legislature as the Registry of Advance Directives for Health Care under AB 158, sponsored by Assemblyman David Bobzien. The legislature provided funding to initiate the program, which is operated at no charge to the taxpayers of Nevada through grants and sponsorships and launched on March 25, 2008.

For further information on how to file advance directives in the Lockbox, visit www.LivingWillLockbox.com, or contact the Secretary of State's office at (775) 684-5708.