03/31/2009 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

HB 71-ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVES REGISTRY                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:07:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HERRON announced  that the next order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL NO. 71, "An  Act relating to a registry for advance                                                               
health care directives."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:08:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HOLMES   explained  that  the   current  personal                                                               
advance  health   care  directive   documents  were   not  easily                                                               
accessible should someone become  incapacitated.  She established                                                               
that  HB 71  allowed  for  a voluntary  online  cataloging for  a                                                               
personal advance health  care directive.  She  described that the                                                               
document  would be  submitted  to the  Department  of Health  and                                                               
Social Services (DHSS)  and put into an  electronic format, which                                                               
would allow  health care facilities  to access it at  a patient's                                                               
request.    She   noted  that  an  amendment  to   the  bill  was                                                               
forthcoming,  as   the  original   bill  had   placed  unintended                                                               
financial burdens on DHSS.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:11:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PAT LUBY, Advocacy  Director, AARP, said that AARP  was in strong                                                               
support of  HB 71.   He explained  that AARP had  long encouraged                                                               
its members to  complete advanced health care  directives, and he                                                               
pointed out the problem of  emergency hospitalization without the                                                               
health care  directive accompanying the  person.  He  stated that                                                               
HB  71 would  alleviate that  problem.   He emphasized  that this                                                               
would establish a means for  health care providers to "follow the                                                               
wishes of their patients."                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:12:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
[HB 71 was held over.]