Where to File and Store Your Advance Directive in Indiana

You've signed your advance directive, had it properly witnessed, and feel good about documenting your healthcare wishes. But if nobody can find the document when it matters, you've done all that work for nothing.

Indiana doesn't have a state registry for advance directives. There's no central database where hospitals can pull up your document. That makes storage and distribution entirely your responsibility — and the choices you make here determine whether your wishes are honored in an emergency.

The Rule of Four: Who Needs a Copy

At minimum, distribute copies of your executed advance directive to four places:

1. Your Healthcare Representative. The person you've designated as your HCR needs their own copy, and they need to know where yours is. If they're called to the hospital at 2 a.m., they shouldn't be searching through your filing cabinets. Give them a physical copy and a digital scan.

2. Your primary care physician. Your doctor's office can scan the document into your medical record. When you're admitted to a hospital within the same health system, your advance directive may already be accessible in the electronic health record. Ask your doctor's office to confirm it's been added — don't assume.

3. Your home files. Keep the original in a clearly labeled folder that your family knows about. The kitchen drawer, a home filing cabinet, a binder labeled "Important Documents" — anywhere accessible. Tell at least two family members where it is.

4. Your wallet or purse. A wallet-sized emergency card that identifies you as having an advance directive and lists your Healthcare Representative's name and phone number. First responders and ER staff can use this to locate your full document quickly.

The Safe-Deposit Box Mistake

Storing your only copy of an advance directive in a bank safe-deposit box is one of the most common — and most dangerous — mistakes people make. When you're incapacitated and your family needs the document urgently, the bank may be closed. Even during business hours, accessing a safe-deposit box after the account holder becomes incapacitated can require legal documentation that takes days to obtain.

Keep the original somewhere accessible at home. Use the safe-deposit box for a backup copy if you want, but never as the primary location.

Getting Your Directive Into Hospital Records

Indiana hospitals are required to ask about advance directives at admission, but proactive patients don't wait for that moment. You can contact any hospital where you might receive care and ask them to add your advance directive to their system in advance.

For major Indiana health systems like IU Health, Community Health Network, or Franciscan Health, call the admissions or patient services department and ask how to submit your advance directive for pre-registration. Some systems allow you to upload documents through their patient portal.

If you're admitted to a hospital that doesn't have your directive on file, bring a copy. Staff will scan it into your electronic health record during the admission process. Having a clean, well-organized document — with your Healthcare Representative clearly identified and proper witness attestations — makes this process faster.

Digital Copies and Cloud Storage

Keeping a scanned PDF of your advance directive in cloud storage (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox) gives your Healthcare Representative instant access from anywhere. Share the link or folder with them directly. If you update your directive, replace the old file immediately — you don't want conflicting versions floating around.

Some people store a photo of their advance directive on their phone. While this isn't a legal copy, it can help emergency personnel identify that a formal document exists and contact your Healthcare Representative.

What About the POST Form?

If you have a Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (POST) form — Indiana's version of POLST — the storage rules are different. The POST is a medical order, not just a planning document, and it needs to be immediately visible to first responders. It should be posted on your refrigerator (where EMS personnel are trained to look), kept with you during transport, and filed at every facility where you receive care.

The POST form is specifically recommended to be printed on bright Pulsar Pink paper so first responders can spot it instantly. Photocopies and electronic versions are legally valid in Indiana.

Updating Your Distribution List

Every time you revoke and re-execute your advance directive, you need to redistribute it. Notify everyone who holds a copy — your HCR, your doctor, family members — and replace the old version. Under Indiana law, a newly executed advance directive automatically revokes all prior directives unless the new document explicitly states otherwise.

The Indiana Advance Directive & Living Will Kit includes printable emergency wallet cards and a distribution checklist to make sure every copy gets where it needs to be.

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