Senate Study Bill 1039 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES BILL BY CHAIRPERSON RAGAN) A BILL FOR An Act allowing an advanced registered nurse practitioner to 1 sign a death certificate. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1883XC (5) 84 jr/nh
S.F. _____ Section 1. Section 142C.8, subsection 10, Code 2011, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 10. The physician or advanced registered nurse practitioner 3 who attends the decedent at death and the physician or advanced 4 registered nurse practitioner who determines the time of 5 death shall not participate in the procedures for removing or 6 transplanting a part from the decedent. 7 Sec. 2. Section 144.26, subsection 1, Code 2011, is amended 8 to read as follows: 9 1. A death certificate for each death which occurs in this 10 state shall be filed as directed by the state registrar within 11 three days after the death and prior to final disposition, 12 and shall be registered by the county registrar if it has 13 been completed and filed in accordance with this chapter . A 14 death certificate shall include the social security number, if 15 provided, of the deceased person. All information including 16 the certifying physician’s or advanced registered nurse 17 practitioner’s name shall be typewritten. 18 Sec. 3. Section 144.28, subsection 1, paragraphs b and e, 19 Code 2011, are amended to read as follows: 20 b. Unless there is a nonnatural cause of death, the medical 21 certification shall be completed and signed by the physician 22 or advanced registered nurse practitioner in charge of the 23 patient’s care for the illness or condition which resulted 24 in death within seventy-two hours after receipt of the death 25 certificate from the funeral director or individual who 26 initially assumes custody of the body. 27 e. If upon inquiry into a death, the county or state medical 28 examiner determines that a preexisting natural disease or 29 condition was the likely cause of death and that the death does 30 not affect the public interest as described in section 331.802, 31 subsection 3 , the medical examiner may elect to defer to the 32 physician or advanced registered nurse practitioner in charge 33 of the patient’s preexisting condition the certification of the 34 cause of death. 35 -1- LSB 1883XC (5) 84 jr/nh 1/ 2
S.F. _____ EXPLANATION 1 This bill allows an advanced registered nurse practitioner 2 to sign a death certificate, unless there is a nonnatural cause 3 of death. 4 -2- LSB 1883XC (5) 84 jr/nh 2/ 2