PHO Message - Physician Guidance in Death Certificate Completion February 10, 2022 General County of San Bernardino Dept. of Public Health, Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS), SBCDPH 0 Message from Michael A. Sequeira, M.D., Health Officer, County of San Bernardino Department of Public Health January 25, 2022 To All Hospital and Medical Staff: As we are in the midst of the peak of the most recent (Omicron) Covid surge, we have found our hospitalizations, ICU capacity and deaths rising to higher levels. Mortuaries and funeral homes are currently nearing or reaching maximum capacity in receiving decedents. In efforts to help alleviate the negative impact on mortuaries and funeral home, it is crucial that all medical staff complete death certificate data in the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) as soon as possible. This should include a cause of death (COD) and attestation by treating physicians. We are asking that the Hospital-based Physicians (Emergency, Hospitalists, Intensivists) fill these out as soon as possible. The number of cases pending completion in EDRS has significantly increased. Delays in EDRS by medical staff can cause delays for mortuaries and funeral homes to receive burial and cremation permits. If burial and cremation permits are not promptly obtained, mortuaries and funeral homes may reach their maximum storage capacities and will stop pickup decedents from hospitals and coroner division. For the Physicians, I am including the Guidance for Completing a Certificate of Death (page 2) as well as the CDPH Death Determination Guidance (page 4) as a reference to help you in completing the death certificate data. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me, Dr. Michael Sequeira, at Michael.Sequeira@dph.sbcounty.gov or Captain Greg Myler of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's Coroner Division at gmyler@sbcsd.org. Michael A. Sequeira, M.D. Health Officer San Bernardino County Comments are closed.
