641—97.4 (144) Standard registration of fetal death—up to one year. Iowa fetal death records submitted for registration within one year from the date of fetal death shall be prepared on the standard Certificate of Fetal Death form. A fetal death certificate shall not be filed after one year from the date of the event.
	 97.4(1) When a fetal death occurs in an institution, the person in charge of the institution or the person’s designee, the physician in attendance at or after delivery, or a medical examiner may assist in preparation of the Certificate of Fetal Death form as directed by the state registrar.
	 97.4(2) In cases in which a fetus has reached the gestation period of 20 completed weeks or more or a weight of 350 grams or more, a Certificate of Fetal Death form shall be:
	  a.   	 Registered and maintained solely at the state registrar’s office; and
	  b.   	 Filed within three days after delivery and prior to final disposition of the fetus.
	 97.4(3) The county in which the dead human fetus is found is the county of death. The certificate shall be filed within three days after the fetus is found.
	 97.4(4) If the fetal death occurs in a moving conveyance, the county in which the fetus is first removed from the conveyance is the county of death.
	 97.4(5) A blank Certificate of Fetal Death form shall be used only by the state registrar or authorized agents.
	 97.4(6) If a funeral director uses a computer software program to generate fetal death records, the certificate of fetal death form shall be provided to the state registrar prior to the funeral director’s use of the form. The state registrar shall review the form and provide written approval to the funeral director or shall deny approval of the form if the form does not conform to the standard certificate of death as prescribed. Denial shall be provided in writing.
[ARC 0483C, IAB 12/12/12, effective 1/16/13]