Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 882, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2005.
(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.