Responsibilities
Long Term Care Facilities should coordinate the certification of the death records that occur in their facilities in order to provide the funeral home with a certified medical portion of the death record as soon as possible. Facilities may provide the funeral home with the completed and signed pronouncement form for transportation of the decedent. The current paper pronouncement form is still in use. However, there is an online pronouncement process that can also be accommodated.
Medical data entry staff or a physician or a nurse practitioner, can initiate the death certificate process and is primarily responsible for documenting the decedent’s cause(s) of death. The electronic death record should be certified by the medical certifier within 24 hours from the time of death. In some cases, the certification of the electronic death record will need to be completed sooner in order to meet religious obligations.
At times, the intended certifier of the death record will be unavailable to certify the death record when ready. In those circumstances, the facility staff should facilitate the reassignment of the death record for certification by another member of the decedent’s care team as necessary.
Learn how to enroll
Downloads
Guide
- VIP Enrollment Guide for Medical Facilities PDF (Doc)
- Note: Physicians or Nurse Practitioners who will certify deaths should follow the enrollment guide located in the Medical Certifier section. The enrollment process for medical certifiers is different from enrolling medical data entry staff.
Training
- VIP EDRS Long Term Care Overview PDF (Doc)
- Training Opportunities PDF (Doc)
- VIP EDRS Medical Staff Overview PDF (Doc)
Quick Guides for Medical Certifiers & Medical Staff
- DPH Guidance on Completing a Death Certificate
- Quick Guide for Online Certifiers PDF (Doc)
- Quick Guide to Fax Attestation for Offline Certifiers PDF (Doc)
- Quick Guide to Fax Attestation for medical staff working with Offline Certifiers PDF (Doc)
Tools
Resources
- VIP EDRS Handout Sheet for Medical Certifiers PDF (Doc)
- VIP Electronic Death Registration System -Introduction and Overview PDF (Doc)
- Electronic Death Registration System Brochure PDF (Doc)
- Memo to Massachusetts Licensed Physicians regarding the Electronic Death Registration System PDF (Doc)
- Vitals Information Partnership (VIP) Contingency Plan PDF (Doc)
- Primary Burial Agent Directory (Doc)