Laws - Health Care Declaration Registry

Health Care Declarations Registry – Second Substitute House Bill 2342, effective 6-7-06 (31 KB PDF)

"The legislature finds that effective communication between patients, their families, and their caregivers regarding their wishes if they become incapacitated results in health care decisions that are more respectful of patients' desires. Whether the communication is for end-of-life planning or incapacity resulting from mental illness, the state must respect those wishes and support efforts to facilitate such communications and to make that information available when it is needed.

It is the intent of the legislature to establish an electronic registry to improve access to health care decision-making documents. The registry would support, not supplant, the current systems for advance directives and mental health advance directives by improving access to these documents. It is the legislature's intent that the registry would be consulted by health care providers in every instance where there may be a question about the patient's wishes for periods of incapacity and the existence of a document that may clarify a patient's intentions unless the circumstances are such that consulting the registry would compromise the emergency care of the patient."

Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Laws:

• Natural Death Act Chapter 70.122 RCW
• Health Care Declarations Registry Chapter 70.122.130 RCW
• Health Care Declarations Registry Account Chapter 70.122.140 RCW
• Directive to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment Chapter 70.122.030 RCW
• Power of Attorney Chapter 11.94 RCW
• Mental Health Advance Directives Chapter 71.32 RCW
• Emergency Medical Personnel – Futile treatment and natural death directives (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment – POLST) Chapter 43.70.480 RCW