You are currently viewing FAQ: Can I register ahead of time to donate my body? How does the process work?

FAQ: Can I register ahead of time to donate my body? How does the process work?

  • Post category:Medcure
Woman Filling Out Donation Consent Forms

MedCure accepts pre-registration from anyone over the age of 18. Pre-sign donors do not have to be ill or on hospice care in order to register. In fact, we can keep a registration on file for years, or even decades, before an individual’s time of passing. Pre-registration does not create a contract of any kind, and pre-sign donors can change their mind at any point and notify us that they wish to rescind their registration.

In order to make the registration process as easy as possible, we have placed a Registration Process guide on our website to walk potential donors through the steps of becoming a pre-sign donor with MedCure. You can view the image on our website here: https://medcure.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MK-013.5-Pre-Registration-Kit.pdf

Step One: Submit Your Info

Registering with MedCure is easy. Completing our online registration form is the fastest way to notify us of your intent to donate. You only need to provide your full name, date of birth, address, phone number, and email, as well as let us know if you are currently receiving hospice care. You can also include a note to let us know if you would like us to mail copies of our consent forms for you to complete.

Donation Consent forms can also be downloaded from the bottom of every page on our website, or you can request the forms by emailing us at info@medcure.org. Fill out the forms at home, and feel free to use the helpful video clips on our website (https://medcure.org/body-donation-resources/) if you have any questions on completing them fully. You can submit the forms via mail, email, or fax. Once we receive them, your data will be entered into our system, and you will be recorded as a pre-sign donor.

Step Two: Review Your Welcome Materials

Within 2-3 weeks of your forms being processed, you will receive a MedCure Welcome Kit in the mail. The kit contains a welcome letter with important information for you to review, as well as 2 Donor Cards. We suggest you keep one card on your person (in your wallet, for example) in case of an unexpected passing, and leave the second card either with a loved one, or with your important personal papers.

Step Three: Keep Us Informed

Because MedCure will accept and hold your registry on file for years, it is important that you update us if your information changes. Changes of address, legal name, or other information should be submitted to us on a Change of Information Request form. These forms can also be downloaded from the bottom of each page of the MedCure website. Ensuring that your information is up to date can simplify the donation process at the time of your passing.

Step Four: Talk With Your Loved Ones

Be certain that you talk to your family about your intention to be a whole-body donor. Knowing your wishes ahead of time can help ease your family through the difficult period around your passing. Having MedCure’s contact information on hand in the form of your extra donor card, or having it included with your end-of-life documents, can ease their burdens and allow them to process their grief and loss more easily. Our Pre-Registration Guide features several points that can assist in having these sometimes uncomfortable discussions.

There are unforeseen circumstances that can affect our ability to accept a donation at the time of a donor’s passing. Circumstances like a requirement for a full autopsy or legal investigation into cause of death or an active sepsis infection at the time of death are among the issues that may cause a declined donation. For this reason, we urge everyone to have a back-up plan in mind and to discuss that with your family as well.

Step Five: Contact Us If You Enter Hospice Care

If you are ever placed on hospice care or given a life expectancy of 6 months or less, you or your family should call our 24-hour toll-free number to complete your eligibility screening. Completing the screening before passing can also make the donation process smoother for your family and next of kin at the time of death.

Step Six: Donation

At the time of your passing, your family should call MedCure first. If your donation is accepted, we will handle all the arrangements from there, including contacting a funeral home to arrange for transport.

If you are interested in receiving a printed kit that summarizes all this information, please send us an email at info@medcure.org and ask for a Pre-Registration Registration Kit. We would be happy to send you everything you need to register your intent to donate. MedCure is forever grateful for the generosity of our donors. Their gifts assist us in advancing medical science and improving the quality of countless lives to come.