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Hello all, we recently lost our Father to respiratory failure on April 6. The ER physician has refused to sign the death certificate, and I'm not completely sure why, don't know if it's fear of liability or what? She has deferred it to Dad's primary care MD, who refused to sign due to the fact that he did not witness or call the time of death. The county coroner will not sign because the death occurred in the ER, and not at home, or in public.
And, so, nearly four weeks later, we have an unsigned death certificate. The funeral home bill is unpaid, Dad's affairs cannot be closed out, insurance claims cannot be filed. Nothing.
We filed a complaint with the hospital last Friday, and was told by the head of the Chaplain department, and ethics committee, who promised that he would hand deliver to the hospital's medical director for signature and forward it back to the funeral home by Tuesday morning. It is Wednesday afternoon, and absolutely nothing has been done. The chaplain will not return calls. I have involved the chaplain at the hospital I work at, and have not heard anything back yet. The next steps I suppose is to involve the hospital administration or file a grievance with the Kentucky Office of Inspector General. Or, worse, seek legal advice.
Does anyone have any ideas, experience, suggestions?
[Kentucky Statute states that the medical certification shall be completed, signed, and returned to the funeral director within five working days after presentation to the physician, dentist, or chiropractor in charge of the patient’s care for the illness or condition which resulted in death, except when inquiry is required by KRS 72.400 to 72.475. In such cases, the coroner shall complete and sign the certificate within five days after receiving results of the inquiry as required by KRS 72.400 to 72.475. In the absence of the physician, dentist, or chiropractor, or with such person’s approval, the certificate may be completed and signed by his associate physician, dentist, or chiropractor; the chief medical officer of the institution in which death occurred; the physician who performed an autopsy upon the decedent; or a physician employed by the local health department, if the individual has access to the medical history of the case and death is due to natural causes [/SIZE]
Has the funeral director ever run into this? Any feedback from him?
Apparently it's not unheard of. Just got an update from funeral director. The medical director at the hospital agreed to sign, but now they cannot locate his death certificate.
Hate to say this, but is there any chance the ER had something to do with his death? Sounds suspicious that they "can't find" the death certificate and that the ER doc wouldn't sign it.
Hate to say this, but is there any chance the ER had something to do with his death? Sounds suspicious that they "can't find" the death certificate and that the ER doc wouldn't sign it.
You know, it really is sounding more fishy as we continue to get strung along.
There was a big problem getting someone to sign my husband's death certificate when he died in February. For two weeks before he died, he had been in a nursing home in the Orlando area, where we had moved in early February from Tallahassee (250 miles away). He had multiple medical problems -- Parkinson's, diabetes, heart disease, and he was 87 years old.
One day, he was sent via ambulance from the nursing home to the ER at a local Orlando area hospital because his stomach was grossly distended and he was very disoriented and in pain but was not able to communicate. He died at the hospital a few hours later.
The ER doctor had not treated him for any of his current conditions, so she couldn't sign the death certificate. I think his Tallahassee doctor was asked to sign the certificate, but she hadn't seen him for several weeks prior to his death, so she couldn't really say what the cause of death was.
There was some talk about maybe there'd have to be an autopsy. Finally, a couple of weeks after my husband died, the nursing home doctor signed the death certificate. But it did take quite a bit of time, and I believe there were some communication problems between the funeral home and the nursing home doctor, and that created even more delay. My husband was finally cremated about two weeks after he died.
I believe that the ER doctor's job is to try to get the patient stabilized with whatever symptoms he's presenting at the time. The ER doctor knows about the patient's previous medical conditions only if someone provides that information when the patient is admitted to the ER. In a situation like my husband's, where he had so many medical issues, the ER doctor would only have been guessing as to the cause of death.
If a law has been broken, go see the district attorney. In my area that office is in the building with the county offices.
Also may want to make a copy of the law, then call the city police. Show them the law and tell them what happened. Say you want them charged. See what they say. (There are TONS of laws and the police do not know every one of them.)
If the police do nothing and can't give you a good reason for doing anything (are blowing you off), go talk to the county sheriff's office.
And go talk to TV news stations and the local newspaper.
Keep calling people and being a ROYAL PAIN until they sign the death certificate. (The squeaky wheel gets the grease!)
In other cases why a doctor would not sign a death certificate, I've read of cases where there is an incompetent person working at a hospital (could be nurse, doctor, or someone else) and that person has harmed many people in the past.
The "good doctors" have complained to the hospital about this incompetent person MANY times in the past and nothing was done. So finally there is another death and the "good doctor" may refuse to sign the death certificate because the hospital is wanting him to sign something with false information on it (not the REAL cause of death which was something due to another person's incompetence). This type of thing may or may not be what is going on with your situation?
Also they keep these things secret and do not disclose them to the families or the public, so you will probably get nothing out of them if you ask.
But people can be forced to "talk" with a lawyer and a "deposition". So you may want to talk to their legal department and say you just want a signed death certificate. Say you don't want to go through a big legal hassle. But if they keep dragging their feet, you are going to wonder if there was a "wrongful death" and perhaps lawyers and depositions of all employees would be in order?
All sorts of nasty things you can do to stir the pot!
The delay could be caused by unusual or suspicious circumstances regarding the death and they want to clear that up first before signing off.
Someone at the hospital or MD office should give you some indication why it's being held up.
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