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Monday, January 10, 2011
Ind. Gov't. - Still more on: Changes to death certificate system in Indiana
Updating this ILB entry from yesterday, Ella Johnson reports today in the Evansville Courier & Press in a long story that begins:
Families now should be able to obtain death certificates necessary to collect on life insurance policies and pensions and complete burial arrangements faster thanks to Indiana's new electronic system that makes it easier for local officials to complete death records.However, doctors, funeral directors and coroners could face criminal charges and a $1,000 fine for failure to complete information in the Indiana Death Registry System in a timely manner. They are mandated by law to use the system.
"I understand the need to do it," said Dr. Donald Brake, a private family practice physician affiliated with St. Mary's Medical Center. He said the new system will improve efficiency and transparency in death records. However, Brake is concerned about the penalty for noncompliance.
"I think that is kind of ridiculous," Brake said.
On Dec. 8, he applied for a personal identification number to access the web-based registry and received a confirmation e-mail that his information had been received. Nearly one month later, Brake still had not received the pin.
"I assume there is going to be a grace period, or at least I hope there is," Brake said. He finally gained access to the system last week after calling the state health department.
Jan. 1 was the deadline for all death records in Indiana to be filed using the web-based registry, ending a decades-old practice of shuffling paperwork between hospitals, funeral homes, county health departments and, in some cases, the county coroner's office before the information was filed with the state.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 10, 2011 10:35 AM
Posted to Indiana Government