As of Jan. 1, 2012, all 2012 deaths must be submitted on the new 2012 death certificate or they will not be accepted.
Physicians oftentimes do not know if the medical examiner or coroner was contacted and may not have that information readily available to be able to answer that question on the form.
To help speed up the process, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) recently instructed hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices to tell physicians who are completing a death certificate if the medical examiner or coroner was contacted so that the physician is able to easily and accurately answer that question.
Here are a few general reminders about completing an accurate death certificate:
- The new death certificate will be legal size (8 ½ x 14 inches) instead of letter size (8 ½ x 11 inches). When photocopying blank forms or using software to print the certificates, make sure to print on legal size paper with a paper weight of 24 lbs. All certificates generated with software need prior approval from DOH.
- Do not hole-punch the certificate.
- Use black, heat-resistant, permanent ink (no gel pens or erasable ink).
- The original death certificate should be sent to the funeral director or the person in charge of interment.
Read more information on correctly completing a death certificate.
View a sample of the revised 2012 death certificate.
If you have specific questions related to the 2012 death certificate, contact Dianne Jenkins-Papa at the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Division of Vital Records, at (724) 656-3215.