The accident was horrible.

One of our DocuBank members was driving home with her husband when their car was hit by an oncoming truck.  The wife was injured and was taken to a local hospital, but her husband had sustained far more serious injuries and was taken by helicopter to the trauma unit at a hospital miles away.

Upon arrival, the husband was unconscious, and of course, his wife was not present to give any information about him — a situation that was at best confusing and at worst potentially calamitous.  But the hospital found the man’s DocuBank card and was immediately able to obtain his emergency medical information and his healthcare wishes.

This true story happened to the staff member of an estate planning attorney we know and illustrates perfectly the importance of having vital medical information and healthcare directives instantly available.

Randi J. Siegel, MBA, is the President of DocuBank, the largest advance directive registry in the U.S., which ensures that the healthcare directives of its 175,000 enrollees are immediately available 24/7/365. Working with estate planning professionals since 1997, Randi frequently speaks at national estate planning conferences and has appeared on radio and television as an authority on registries. She is active in health policy pertaining to advance directives and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Jefferson School of Population Health in Philadelphia. Randi is an ongoing contributor to the Academy blog.

Academy Guest Blogger
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
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