69.18(1)(bm)
(bm) A person required to file a certificate of death under
par. (b) shall obtain the information required for the certificate of death from the next of kin or the best qualified person or source available. The person filing the certificate of death shall enter his or her signature on the certificate and include his or her address and the date of signing and shall present or mail the certificate, within 24 hours after being notified of the death, to the physician, coroner or medical examiner responsible for completing and signing the medical certification. Within 2 days after receipt of the medical certification, the person filing the certificate of death shall mail or present the certificate of death in:
69.18(1)(bm)1.
1. The registration district of the place of death if the death occurred in this state.
69.18(1)(bm)2.
2. The registration district where the corpse was found or removed if the place of death is not in this state or is unknown, is removed in this state from a conveyance which was moving at the time of death or is found in interstate waters and removed in this state.
69.18(1)(c)
(c) A hospital, a nursing home, as defined in
s. 50.01 (3), or a hospice that is the place of death of a person may prepare a certificate of death for the person and give the certificate to the person who moves the corpse under
par. (a).
69.18(1)(cm)1.1. For purposes of preparation of the certificate of death and in accordance with accepted medical standards, a hospice nurse in a hospice that is directly involved with the care of a hospice patient who dies may pronounce the date, time, and place of the patient's death if all of the following apply:
69.18(1)(cm)1.a.
a. The patient was generally under the care of a physician at the time of death.
69.18(1)(cm)2.
2. Subd.
1. may not be construed to authorize a hospice nurse to certify under
sub. (2) (b) the cause of the patient's death.
69.18(1)(d)
(d) A hospital, nursing home, or hospice may not release a corpse to any person under
par. (a) unless the person presents a notice of removal on a form prescribed by the state registrar, in duplicate, to the administrator of the hospital, nursing home, or hospice. The administrator shall retain one copy and forward the other copy to the local registrar of the registration district in which the hospital, nursing home, or hospice is located.
69.18(1)(e)1.1. If a death is a miscarriage and 20 weeks or more have elapsed between the mother's last normal menstrual period and delivery or the stillbirth weighs 350 grams or more, one of the following shall submit, within 5 days after delivery, a fetal death report to the state registrar:
69.18(1)(e)1.a.
a. If the miscarriage occurs at or on route to a hospital, the individual who manages the hospital or the hospital's medical records.
69.18(1)(e)1.b.
b. If the miscarriage does not occur at or on route to a hospital, the funeral director or other person authorized by at least one parent of the stillbirth.
69.18(1)(e)2.
2. Except as provided under
subd. 1., no fetal death report is required.
69.18(1m)
(1m) Format. Beginning on January 1, 2003, a certificate of death shall consist of the following parts:
69.18(1m)(a)
(a) Fact-of-death information, which shall include all of the following:
69.18(1m)(a)1.
1. The name and other identifiers of the decedent, including the decedent's social security number, if any.
69.18(1m)(a)2.
2. The date, time, and place that the decedent was pronounced dead.
69.18(1m)(a)5.
5. The dates of certification and filing of the certificate of death.
69.18(1m)(b)
(b) Extended fact-of-death information, which includes all of the following:
69.18(1m)(b)2.
2. Information on final disposition and cause of death.
69.18(1m)(c)
(c) Statistical-use-only information, which includes all of the following:
69.18(1m)(c)1.
1. All information other than that under
par. (b) that is collected on the standard death record form recommended by the federal agency responsible for national vital statistics.
69.18(1m)(c)2.
2. Other data, as directed by the state registrar, including race, educational background, and health risk behavior.
69.18(2)(a)(a) On the form for a certificate of death prescribed by the state registrar under
sub. (1) (b), the state registrar shall provide for a medical certification to be completed under this subsection.
69.18(2)(b)
(b) If a person under the care of a physician dies from the illness or condition for which the care is given and a coroner or medical examiner does not certify the cause of death under
par. (d) 1., the physician shall complete and sign a medical certification for the death under
par. (f) and mail the medical certification within 5 days after the pronouncement of death or present the medical certification to the person responsible for filing the death certificate under
sub. (1) within 6 days after the pronouncement of death.
69.18(2)(c)
(c) If the physician under
par. (b) is absent or gives his or her written approval, the medical certification under
par. (b) may be completed and signed by any one of the following who has access to the medical history of the decedent:
69.18(2)(c)1.
1. If any other physician assisted in attending the decedent, the other physician.
69.18(2)(c)2.
2. The chief medical officer of the hospital or nursing home in which the death occurred.
69.18(2)(c)3.
3. The physician who performed an autopsy on the decedent.
69.18(2)(d)1.1. Except as provided under
par. (e), if a death is the subject of a coroner's or medical examiner's determination under
s. 979.01 or
979.03, the coroner or medical examiner or a physician supervised by a coroner or medical examiner in the county where the event which caused the death occurred shall complete and sign the medical certification for the death and mail the death certificate within 5 days after the pronouncement of death or present the certificate to the person responsible for filing the death certificate under
sub. (1) within 6 days after the pronouncement of death.
69.18(2)(d)2.
2. Except as provided under
par. (e), if the decedent was not under the care of a physician for the illness or condition from which the person died, the coroner or medical examiner, or a physician supervised by a coroner or medical examiner, in the county of the place of death shall complete and sign the medical certification for the death and mail the death certificate within 5 days after the pronouncement of death or present the certificate to the person responsible for filing the death certificate under
sub. (1) within 6 days after the pronouncement of death.
69.18(2)(d)3.
3. For a medical certification under this paragraph, except a medical certification of the cause of death of an indigent, a coroner or medical examiner may charge a fee established by the county board, not to exceed an amount reasonably related to the actual and necessary cost of providing the medical certification. The coroner or medical examiner, or the physician employed by the coroner or medical examiner, shall mail or present a medical certification as required under
subd. 1., whether or not the fee has been paid.
69.18(2)(e)
(e) Unless the person is a physician supervised by a coroner or medical examiner, no person may act under
par. (d) if the subject of the death certificate was his or her patient or a patient in a hospital, or nursing home, as defined in
s. 50.01 (3), in which he or she has direct care of any patient.
69.18(2)(f)1.1. A person signing a medical certification under
par. (b),
(c) or
(d) shall describe, in detail, on a form prescribed by the state registrar, the cause of death, show the duration of each cause, the sequence of each cause if the cause of death was multiple and, if the cause was disease, the evolution of the disease. The person shall describe a disease in medical terms and may not limit the description to symptoms or conditions resulting from disease. If the cause of a death is medically certified under
par. (d), the coroner or medical examiner shall describe any violence related to the cause of death, its effect on the decedent and whether it was accidental, suicidal, homicidal or undetermined.
69.18(2)(f)2.
2. If a person signing a medical certification under
par. (b),
(c) or
(d) fails to satisfy the requirements of
subd. 1., the medical certification shall be deemed incomplete and unsigned and may be returned to the person for completion.
69.18(2)(f)3.
3. A person signing a medical certification under
par. (b),
(c) or
(d) shall note on the certificate if the cause of death of the subject of the certificate is unknown, undetermined or if the determination of the cause of death is pending and shall submit to the state registrar within 30 days after the pronouncement of death an amendment to the medical certification which satisfies the requirements of
subd. 1., except that such amendment may exclude information which is unavailable pending the determination of an inquest under
s. 979.04.
69.18(3)
(3) Requirements for disposition of a corpse or stillbirth. 69.18(3)(a)(a) Except as provided under
par. (c) or
(e), the person who has moved a corpse under
sub. (1) (a) shall complete a report for final disposition, on a form supplied by the state registrar, and, within 24 hours after being notified of the death, mail or present a copy of the report to the coroner or medical examiner in the county of the place of death and mail or present a copy to the local registrar in the registration district of the place of death. If the cause of death is subject to an investigation under
s. 979.01 or
979.03, the report for final disposition shall be submitted to the coroner or medical examiner in the county in which the event which caused the death occurred.
69.18(3)(b)
(b) If a medical certification for a corpse is required under
sub. (2) (d), no person may embalm the corpse or effect its final disposition without satisfying the requirements for a report under
par. (a) and without obtaining the written permission of the person required to complete the medical certification under
sub. (2) (d).
69.18(3)(c)
(c) No person may effect a final disposition of a corpse brought into this state unless the corpse is accompanied by written authorization for final disposition under the law of another state.
69.18(3)(d)
(d) No person may remove a corpse from this state if the place of death was in this state unless the corpse is accompanied by a copy of the report for final disposition. If a medical certification is required for the corpse under
sub. (2) (d), the corpse must be accompanied by the report and the written permission of the coroner or medical examiner to embalm and effect final disposition. No person may remove a stillbirth from this state if the delivery of the stillbirth was in this state unless the stillbirth is accompanied by a report for final disposition.
69.18(3)(e)
(e) Except as provided under
par. (d), no report under
par. (a) is required to effect final disposition of a stillbirth. No person may effect final disposition of a stillbirth without the written authorization of any of the following persons, in order of priority stated, when persons in prior classes are not available at the time of authorization, and in the absence of actual notice of opposition by a member of the same or a prior class:
69.18(3)(e)4.
4. Any other person authorized or under obligation to dispose of the stillbirth.
69.18(3)(f)
(f) Every person in charge of a place in which interment or other disposition of corpses occurs shall maintain a written record of every corpse interred there. The record shall include the name of the decedent, the place of death, the date of burial and the name and address of the funeral director or other person in charge of the funeral.
69.18(3)(g)
(g) If a deceased person had a disease which the department determines is communicable and dangerous to the public health, the corpse of the person may not be moved nor final disposition effected except under conditions prescribed by the department.
69.18(4)
(4) Authorization for disinterment and reinterment. 69.18(4)(a)(a) Subject to
s. 157.111, the coroner or medical examiner of the county in which a decedent's corpse is interred shall issue an authorization for disinterment and reinterment upon receipt of an order of a court of competent jurisdiction or upon receipt of a written application for disinterment and reinterment signed by the person in charge of the disinterment and by any of the following persons, in order of priority stated, when persons in prior classes are not available at the time of application, and in the absence of actual notice of contrary indications by the decedent or actual notice of opposition by a member of the same or a prior class:
69.18(4)(a)5.
5. A guardian of the person of the decedent at the time of the decedent's death.
69.18(4)(a)6.
6. Any other person authorized or under obligation to dispose of the decedent's corpse.
69.18(4)(bm)
(bm) A cemetery authority may disinter and reinter buried human remains as provided under
s. 157.112 without first obtaining an authorization under
par. (a).
69.18 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See also chs.
DHS 135 and
136, Wis. adm. code.
69.18 Annotation
Sub. (2) (f) does not require a death certificate to state the basis of a patient's treatment or the type of treatment. Neuman v. Circuit Court for Marathon County,
231 Wis. 2d 440,
605 N.W.2d 280 (Ct. App. 1999),
99-0714.
69.186
69.186
Induced abortion reporting. 69.186(1)
(1) On or before January 15 annually, each hospital, clinic or other facility in which an induced abortion is performed shall file with the department a report for each induced abortion performed in the hospital, clinic or other facility in the previous calendar year. Each report shall contain all of the following information with respect to each patient obtaining an induced abortion in the hospital, clinic or other facility:
69.186(1)(a)
(a) The state and, if this state, the county, of residence.
69.186(1)(f)
(f) Month and year in which the induced abortion was performed.
69.186(1)(h)
(h) The number of weeks since the patient's last menstrual period.
69.186(1)(hm)
(hm) Whether the abortion was a chemically induced abortion, a surgical abortion or a surgical abortion following a failed or incomplete chemical abortion.
69.186(1)(i)
(i) Complications, if any, resulting from performance of the induced abortion.
69.186(2)
(2) The department shall collect the information under
sub. (1) in a manner which the department shall specify and which ensures the anonymity of a patient who receives an induced abortion, a health care provider who provides an induced abortion and a hospital, clinic or other facility in which an induced abortion is performed. The department shall publish annual demographic summaries of the information obtained under this section, except that the department may not disclose any information obtained under this section that reveals the identity of any patient, health care provider or hospital, clinic or other facility and shall ensure anonymity in all of the following ways:
69.186(2)(a)
(a) The department may use information concerning the patient number under
sub. (1) (b) or concerning the identity of a specific reporting hospital, clinic or other facility for purposes of information collection only and may not reproduce or extrapolate this information for any purpose.
69.186(2)(b)
(b) The department shall immediately destroy all reports submitted under
sub. (1) after information is extrapolated from the reports for use in publishing the annual demographic summary under this subsection.
69.19
69.19
Court-ordered certificates of death. If a person has died in this state and final disposition of the person's corpse has been effected but no certificate of death is on file one year after a death, a person with a direct and tangible interest in having a certificate of death registered may petition the circuit court of the county in which the death is alleged to have occurred. If the court finds that the petitioner has established the facts of the death required on the certificate of death, the clerk of the court shall report the court's determination to the state registrar on a form prescribed by the state registrar, along with the fee required under
s. 69.22. Upon receipt of the report, the state registrar shall register the death certificate and send a copy to the local registrar under
s. 69.03 (11). The local registrar shall file the copy.
69.19 History
History: 1985 a. 315.
