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January 10, 2008

Revised Illinois Certificate of Death

TO: Patient Registration Departments, Member Hospitals

As of January 1, 2008, physicians and medical examiners are to sign a newly revised State of Illinois Certificate of Death in anticipation of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s roll-out of a new electronic death registration system. Four relatively minor revisions were made and, for the time-being, the certification must be on 8.5 x 14 inch long paper to accommodate the check boxes that will eventually become "drop downs" when the form goes electronic. The "Cause of Death" section now includes an opportunity for the person completing the form to indicate if the death was caused in whole or in part by a dementia-related disease, Parkinson’s Disease, or Parkinson Dementia Complex.

The electronic death registration system should be up and running statewide by the end of this year. The Department plans to begin a pilot program sometime in March.

Under the Vital Records Act, a funeral director, or "person acting as such who first assumes custody of a dead body" must complete the Certificate of Death. A physician must sign the form, which is why many hospitals undertake to complete the Certificate of Death when a death occurs in a hospital. However, according to the Department, physicians may sign an incomplete Certificate of Death as long as the patient’s first and last name, the date, time, place of death, and the cause of death information appears on the form. The rest of the information may be completed by the funeral director.

The revised Certificate of Death is not available to the general public. The Department sent copies of the revised form to the local registrars for the State Registrar of Vital Records, which might be the city or county clerk depending on the jurisdiction. Your local registrar may have shared copies with local funeral directors in your area. Hospitals needing to obtain the Certificates of Death for physician signature should get the form directly from funeral directors or the local registrar.

For further information, contact Kathleen Pankau at 630-276-5598.