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April 24, 2008

State of Illinois Electronic Death Registry System

As many of you may know, the State of Illinois has been working on converting the paper based death registry system to an electronic registry system for the past year. As recording and registering a death requires many parties to be involved such as physicians, coroners, funeral home directors, county and state agencies, and provider organizations; moving to an electronic system will allow for quicker processing of the information and avoid unnecessary delays in remembrance services for families and friends that have lost a loved one.

The Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) along with many other organizations throughout Illinois has worked with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) as this system has been developed. We are approaching some critical points in the development and roll out of the new system and we need the help of hospital medical records staff.

During the transition period starting in June and extending to early 2009, IDPH staff will be hand entering the cause of death into the electronic system to ensure accuracy and assess system performance. Upon occasion, a hospital medical records staff person may be contacted to confirm the cause of death. While the cause of death is important for family, legal, and insurance purposes; it also plays a vital role in understanding underlying diseases or conditions causing death on a regional, state, and national basis.

In order to facilitate timely responses, IDPH Director, Dr. Damon Arnold, is asking each hospital to complete a Medical Records Department Contact Information Form that designates a primary and alternate medical records staff person. These staff should be the contacts for any death record questions or clarification.

The letter from Dr. Arnold to Medical Records Personnel and the forms are available by clicking here (scroll to the end of the page you will see the section on Electronic Death Registry System).

Please complete the Medical Records Department Contact Information Form and submit directly to IDPH by Friday, May 16. Thank you.

Staff Contact: Pat Merryweather