Legislative change in Colorado re: doctors, death records

The below copy was excerpted directly from a CDPHE public communication.

This is an informational notice about a legislative bill that has passed in the Colorado General Assembly. The main points of Senate Bill 23-020, in its current (as of Wednesday, May 3) form, are:

• Mandate the use of the Electronic Death Registration System, referred to as EDR, by physicians who sign death records.

• Mandate a three-business-day completion by physicians, once a death record is designated.

• Mandate the Office of the State Registrar to provide a report to the Department of Regulatory Agencies, by a physician, regarding compliance with that timeline.

The final bill language can be viewed by clicking here.

Currently, 83 percent of death records are fully electronic. Should this bill become law, we are still anticipating well more than 1,000 physicians to apply for an EDR account this year. In an attempt to make this process easier and more efficient, an online form is now available for use by clicking the button below.

This form is currently only for physicians.

We plan to provide this information directly to physicians currently signing the drop to papers. We also request that funeral establishments begin providing this document to physicians when you are providing the drop-to-paper forms. We will also provide information to physicians currently using the EDR system.

Thank you for your assistance. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Office of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics, Field Unit, by clicking here.