Senate Bill sb1958
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Florida Senate - 2007 SB 1958
By Senator Wise
5-1279A-07
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to death and fetal death
3 registration; amending s. 382.008, F.S.;
4 providing for advanced registered nurse
5 practitioners to provide certification of death
6 or fetal death; providing an effective date.
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8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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10 Section 1. Subsections (2), (3), (4), and (5) of
11 section 382.008, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
12 382.008 Death and fetal death registration.--
13 (2)(a) The funeral director who first assumes custody
14 of a dead body or fetus shall file the certificate of death or
15 fetal death. In the absence of the funeral director, the
16 physician, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or other
17 person in attendance at or after the death shall file the
18 certificate of death or fetal death. The person who files the
19 certificate shall obtain personal data from the next of kin or
20 the best qualified person or source available. The medical
21 certification of cause of death shall be furnished to the
22 funeral director, either in person or via certified mail, by
23 the physician, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or
24 medical examiner responsible for furnishing such information.
25 For fetal deaths, the physician, midwife, advanced registered
26 nurse practitioner, or hospital administrator shall provide
27 any medical or health information to the funeral director
28 within 72 hours after expulsion or extraction.
29 (b) The State Registrar may receive electronically a
30 certificate of death or fetal death which is required to be
31 filed with the registrar under this chapter through facsimile
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Florida Senate - 2007 SB 1958
5-1279A-07
1 or other electronic transfer for the purpose of filing the
2 certificate. The receipt of a certificate of death or fetal
3 death by electronic transfer constitutes delivery to the State
4 Registrar as required by law.
5 (3) Within 72 hours after receipt of a death or fetal
6 death certificate from the funeral director, the medical
7 certification of cause of death shall be completed and made
8 available to the funeral director by the physician or advanced
9 registered nurse practitioner in charge of the decedent's care
10 for the illness or condition which resulted in death, the
11 physician or advanced registered nurse practitioner in
12 attendance at the time of death or fetal death or immediately
13 before or after such death or fetal death, or the medical
14 examiner if the provisions of s. 382.011 apply. The physician,
15 advanced registered nurse practitioner, or medical examiner
16 shall certify over his or her signature the cause of death to
17 the best of his or her knowledge and belief.
18 (a) The local registrar may grant the funeral director
19 an extension of time upon a good and sufficient showing of any
20 of the following conditions:
21 1. An autopsy is pending.
22 2. Toxicology, laboratory, or other diagnostic reports
23 have not been completed.
24 3. The identity of the decedent is unknown and further
25 investigation or identification is required.
26 (b) If the physician, advanced registered nurse
27 practitioner, or medical examiner has indicated that he or she
28 will sign and complete the medical certification of cause of
29 death, but will not be available until after the 5-day
30 registration deadline, the local registrar may grant an
31 extension of 5 days. If a further extension is required, the
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Florida Senate - 2007 SB 1958
5-1279A-07
1 funeral director must provide written justification to the
2 registrar.
3 (4) If the local registrar has granted an extension of
4 time to provide the medical certification of cause of death,
5 the funeral director shall file a temporary certificate of
6 death or fetal death which shall contain all available
7 information, including the fact that the cause of death is
8 pending. The physician, advanced registered nurse
9 practitioner, or medical examiner shall provide an estimated
10 date for completion of the permanent certificate.
11 (5) A permanent certificate of death or fetal death,
12 containing the cause of death and any other information which
13 was previously unavailable, shall be registered as a
14 replacement for the temporary certificate. The permanent
15 certificate may also include corrected information if the
16 items being corrected are noted on the back of the certificate
17 and dated and signed by the funeral director, physician,
18 advanced registered nurse practitioner, or medical examiner,
19 as appropriate.
20 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.
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23 SENATE SUMMARY
24 Provides for advanced registered nurse practitioners to
provide certification of death or fetal death.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.