EDRS

Published on Monday, November 8, 2021

The Mississippi State Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (MSDH-VR) launched an Electric Death Registration System (EDRS) in June 2017. The primary purpose of an EDRS is to provide on-line access so that decedent fact-of-death and cause-of-death information can be registered electronically by multiple death registration participants and not have to complete a piece of paper. Participation in EDRS is a requirement of MSDH-VR, and UMMC transitioned to the electronic process on November 1, 2021. 

Upon patient death, the EDRS process is as follows: 

• Nursing staff completes Patient Death flowsheet in Epic. It must be completed before the patient can be transferred/discharged to the morgue.
• Message is generated to HIM.
• HIM clerk initiates EDRS case and assigns to provider listed in death flowsheet (Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.). HIM will assign EDRS cases that were submitted after hours when they return for normal business hours. 
• Once case is initiated, provider receives notice from EDRS system via Outlook to complete death certificate. 
• Case is closed. 

Reminders:

• Per state law, only physician providers are permitted to sign the death certificate, as such nurse practitioners should not be listed in the "physician pronounced by" field. 
• Checklist and the paper death certificate have been removed from the paper death packet. Paper death certificates should not be used. Please remove paper death certificates from nursing units. 
• If flowsheet is not complete prior to discharge, an alert will appear indicating that this step has not been completed and will not allow discharge until completed.