CS/HB 1067

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to death and fetal death registration;
3	amending s. 382.008, F.S.; providing for physician
4	assistants and advanced registered nurse practitioners to
5	provide certification of death or fetal death under
6	certain conditions; requiring the supervising physician to
7	verify the certification within a specified timeframe;
8	providing an effective date.
9
10	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12	Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
13	382.008, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (c) is
14	added to subsection (3) of that section, to read:
15	382.008  Death and fetal death registration.-
16	(2)(a)  The funeral director who first assumes custody of a
17	dead body or fetus shall file the certificate of death or fetal
18	death. In the absence of the funeral director, the physician,
19	physician assistant, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or
20	other person in attendance at or after the death shall file the
21	certificate of death or fetal death. The person who files the
22	certificate shall obtain personal data from the next of kin or
23	the best qualified person or source available. The medical
24	certification of cause of death shall be furnished to the
25	funeral director, either in person or via certified mail, by the
26	physician, physician assistant, advanced registered nurse
27	practitioner, or medical examiner responsible for furnishing
28	such information. For fetal deaths, the physician, physician
29	assistant, midwife, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or
30	hospital administrator shall provide any medical or health
31	information to the funeral director within 72 hours after
32	expulsion or extraction.
33	(3)  Within 72 hours after receipt of a death or fetal
34	death certificate from the funeral director, the medical
35	certification of cause of death shall be completed and made
36	available to the funeral director by the physician in charge of
37	the decedent's care for the illness or condition which resulted
38	in death, the physician in attendance at the time of death or
39	fetal death or immediately before or after such death or fetal
40	death, or the medical examiner if the provisions of s. 382.011
41	apply. The physician or medical examiner shall certify over his
42	or her signature the cause of death to the best of his or her
43	knowledge and belief.
44	(c)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a
45	physician assistant or advanced registered nurse practitioner,
46	upon specific written or oral authorization from the physician
47	with whom the physician assistant or advanced registered nurse
48	practitioner has a signed protocol or supervisory relationship,
49	may complete the medical certification of cause of death. The
50	physician must sign this certification in writing within 24
51	hours after the certification of death is completed and place
52	the certification in the decedent's medical records.
53	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.