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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="4-212" title_number="4" title_name="Statistics and Records" subtitle_number="2" subtitle_name="Vital Statistics and Records">
  <level label="a">
    <text>This section does not apply to a fetal death.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>A certificate of death regardless of age of decedent shall be filled out and signed by:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The medical examiner, if the medical examiner takes charge of the body; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>If the medical examiner does not take charge of the body, the physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who last attended the deceased.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The medical examiner, physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner shall fill in only the following information on the certificate of death:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The name of the deceased;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The cause of death and medical certification;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The date and hour of death; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>The place where death occurred.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Any other information that is required on the certificate of death regardless of age of decedent shall be filled in:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>By the person who has charge of the body; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>If the State Anatomy Board has charge of the body, by the person who last had charge of the body before it was sent to the State Anatomy Board.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>The medical certification shall be completed within 24 hours after receipt of the death certificate by the physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner in charge of the patient’s care for the illness or condition which resulted in death, except when inquiry is required by the medical examiner.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>In the absence or inability of the attending physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner or with the attending physician’s, physician assistant’s, or nurse practitioner’s approval, the certificate may be completed by:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The attending physician’s associate;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The chief medical officer or designee of the institution in which death occurred;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The physician who performed an autopsy upon the decedent, provided the individual has access to the medical history of the case and death is due to natural causes; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>A physician designated by the State Anatomy Board, only if within 72 hours after the State Anatomy Board takes charge of the body, the State Anatomy Board has failed after a good faith effort to make contact with any of the individuals described in items (i), (ii), or (iii) of this paragraph or paragraph (4) of this subsection.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>The person completing the cause of death and medical certification shall attest to the accuracy by signature or by an approved electronic process.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>The funeral director or person acting as the funeral director shall in all cases obtain the medical certification from the person responsible for its completion or obtain assurance that the medical certification has been provided to the Secretary by an approved electronic process.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>Each individual concerned with carrying out this subtitle promptly shall notify the medical examiner if:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The deceased was not under treatment by a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner during the terminal illness;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The cause of death is unknown; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The individual considers any of the following conditions to be the cause of death or to have contributed to the death:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>An accident, including a fall with a fracture or other injury;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Homicide;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Suicide;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Other external manner of death;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>Alcoholism; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>Criminal or suspected criminal abortion.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>If, within 24 hours after taking charge of a body, the medical examiner has not determined the cause of death, the medical examiner shall enter “investigation pending” in the cause of death section of the death certificate.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>As soon as the medical examiner determines the cause of death, the medical examiner shall send to the Secretary a report of the cause of death, for entry on the certificate.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>A physician who completes a death certificate under subsection (b)(5)(iv) of this section shall enter “unspecified natural causes” in the cause of death section of the death certificate.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The State Anatomy Board shall send to the Secretary a report of the cause of death for entry on a death certificate completed under subsection (b)(5)(iv) of this section if the State Anatomy Board receives information about the cause of death from an individual described in subsection (b)(4) or (5)(i), (ii), or (iii) of this section.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>A physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who fills out a certificate of death shall give it or transmit it by approved electronic media, including facsimile, to the mortician within 24 hours after the death occurred.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A medical examiner who fills out a certificate of death shall give it or transmit it by approved electronic media, including facsimile, to the mortician within 24 hours after the medical examiner took charge of the body.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If a death occurs on a common carrier in the United States and the body is removed from the carrier in this State, the death shall be registered in this State, and the place where it is first removed shall be considered the place of death. When a death occurs on a common carrier while in international waters or air space or in a foreign country or its air space and the body is first removed from the carrier in this State, the death shall be registered in this State, but the certificate shall show the actual place of death insofar as can be determined.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The individual in charge or the owner of the common carrier or a designee shall file a certificate of death within 24 hours after the body is removed from the carrier.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>If the death occurred under any of the conditions or circumstances set forth in subsection (c) of this section, the medical examiner shall be notified.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>A mortician who obtains a certificate of death under this section shall file the certificate within 72 hours after the death.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Except as authorized under this subtitle, an individual who has a duty to fill out and sign a certificate of death may not execute more than one certificate for a death.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The attending physician, the physician assistant, the nurse practitioner, or a medical examiner who takes charge of a body may file a replacement death certificate if a correction that the physician, the physician assistant, the nurse practitioner, or medical examiner authorizes cannot be entered legibly on the original certificate.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
