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[Still Raining]

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/blue_form.pdf

Here is how to read a death certificate.

[germanshepherdlove]

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@Still Raining wrote:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/blue_form.pdf

Here is how to read a death certificate.

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@Still Raining that must be a fairly new form because the death certificate I have for a parent only has 1 line for cause of death.  The reason for the death of my parent is wrong btw and after I spoke to the coroner about it she pretty much brushed me off.  Very inconsiderate and was not in the least bit impassioned by my information....in fact, she couldn't care less it being incorrect. 

[Still Raining]

A floor nurse has nothing much to do with a diagnosis.  

Once the patient is discharged or is being interim billed, the medical file is turned over to coders for review and completion.  They work far away from the doctors and are a very well trained bunch.  Then the file has to go thru the grouper software to be billed.  Sooner or later the review audit RNs arrive from the payers.

Within the hospital is another level of medical review.  Over in the business office is another review.

Seperate from this is the doctor or medical examiner signing of the death certificate.  This has to agree with all the above.

I would stake my life on this review process.  Sure there can be differences of opinion, but to get this WHOLE group on one page??   Never happen.

[Lipstickdiva]

I don't buy this for one minute.  I think this is a social media fable that is now going around as the truth.

There are plenty of doctors who have said there is no way a doctor is going to put his/her license on the line and falsify a death certificate.  And that is exactly what that is.

Generally a death certificate has a cause of death and then a contributing factor.  So if someone has cancer, their actual cause of death might be multi-level organ failure and then on another line it will say due to Stage 4 liver cancer or Diabetes Mellitus, etc.   

[Lipstickdiva]

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@CrazyDaisy wrote:

Anyone going to a hospital is tested.

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I'm not sure what you mean here.  In some hospitals, anyone going to the hospital for a procedure where they are required to stay overnight are tested.  Some hospitals are testing anyone that is having a surgical procedure done whether they are overnight stay or outpatient.  

When I had my MRI 2 weeks ago, I was not tested prior to that.  My cousin is an ER nurse and they aren't testing all ER patients coming in.  

[software]

There's not much oversite on doctor's signing a death certificate.

They trust whoever filled it out knows what they are doing.

If your loved one is on hospice, the doctor maybe spent 5 minutes with the patient if they are in a facility, if at home, zero time.  My DH was on hospice for 3 weeks, a doctor never saw him.

I'm not calling fraud but a doctor's decision is rarely challenged and doctors all stick together, who's going to rock the boat?