PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION Center for Health Statistics Kate Brown, Governor

800 NE , Suite 222 April 30, 2020 Portland, OR 97232 971-673-1185 971-673-1202 Becky Hultberg www.healthoregon.org/chs President & CEO Oregon Association of and Health Systems 4000 Kruse Way Place, Building 2, Suite 100 Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035

Dear Becky Hultberg:

The Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division, Center for Health Statistics is requesting your assistance to support and encourage to use the state’s electronic death registration (EDR) system for completing death records.

Oregon law (ORS 431.133(5)) states that the person in charge of the hospital must require the medical (cause of death) certification of death to be reported through the state’s EDR system. The law pertains to hospitals that had more than ten deaths the preceding year. This means that all deaths that occur in a hospital that had more than ten deaths in the preceding year must be completed in the EDR system, also known as OVERS (Oregon Vital Events Registration System).

The enclosed contains percentages of death records certified in EDR by hospitals in 2019 and for the first three months of 2020. The 2020 median percentage for hospitals with over ten deaths is 80%. Hospitals should be striving for 100%.

There are many benefits to using EDR: • Death records can be completed, signed, amended and submitted to the funeral home electronically. No paper. • Records can be certified using an authenticator app or biometric device. • Death records filed electronically have higher quality and register almost three times faster than paper records (7.4 days vs 20.4 days). • Oregon Public Health, as well as the CDC, can quickly access information from death records to evaluate the health of Oregonians and to track emerging diseases like COVID-19.

We’re here to help • The Center for Health Statistics is available to train users and to guide staff through the implementation of this web-based system. • We offer two options to certify records: an authenticator app and a biometric device. An authenticator app can be used on any smart phone, anywhere. The biometric device can be loaded onto specific computers or at a centralized location. • Information about EDR and the authenticator app are enclosed. We would be happy to provide additional brochures if requested.

Letters, like this one, are being sent to hospital administrators to encourage them to ensure deaths that occur in their hospitals are being filed in the state’s EDR system.

Please contact Karen Rangan, Partner Services Training and Communication Manager at 971-673-1160 to get more information.

Best regards,

Jennifer A. Woodward, Ph.D. State Registrar OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY Public Health Division Center for Health Statistics [email protected] Desk: 971-673-1185

Authenticator App for OVERS The Center for Health Statistics is excited to The convenience of an authenticator announce a new, secure, app allows users to securely certify a and convenient option for death record anywhere, using any certifying a death record: browser, whereas the biometric device option requires users to register The Authenticator App fingerprints and use an installed for OVERS. biometric device. Any authenticator app can be used to link your information to OVERS, and the best part is that it can be installed on any smart phone and used within minutes. The Authenticator App is an option on the OVERS Certify Screen. Once enabled, the Authenticator drop-down menu defaults to Authenticator. Just search for “authenticator” in your app store, set it up, and you’re ready to go! Set Up Quick Guide: http://bit.ly/authappguide

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU? OVERS Help Desk – Technical Support (971) 673-0279 Vital Records Trainer (971) 673-1353 Percentage of death records certified in EDR by facility (Run 4/10/2020)

Facility where death occurred 2019 2020 deaths 2020 %EDR (Excludes Medical Examiner records) %EDR (Jan-Mar) (Jan-Mar) Adventist Medical Center 73.4% 79 85.9% Asante Ashland Community Hospital 17.2% 1 25.0% Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center 74.2% 98 73.7% Asante Three Rivers Medical Center 39.8% 46 52.3% Bay Area Hospital 12.3% 2 3.3% Blue Mountain Hospital 91.7% 5 100.0% Columbia Memorial Hospital 2.3% 1 10.0% Coquille Valley Hospital 0.0% 0 0.0% 83.9% 12 92.3% Doernbecher Children's Hospital 100.0% 1 100.0% Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center 78.4% 41 73.2% Good Shepherd Medical Center 11.1% 1 14.3% 57.4% 9 69.2% Harney District Hospital 94.1% 4 100.0% Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Westside 86.9% 32 91.4% Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center 82.0% 107 91.5% 85.7% 1 100.0% Legacy Emanuel Medical Center 76.7% 75 89.3% Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center 76.8% 45 80.4% Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center 69.8% 55 83.3% Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center 93.2% 38 92.7% Legacy Silverton Medical Center 0.0% 0 0.0% Lower Umpqua Hospital District 14.3% 0 0.0% McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center 6.7% 2 6.1% Mercy Medical Center 62.2% 55 63.2% Mid-Columbia Medical Center 91.8% 10 100.0% OHSU Hospitals and Clinics 98.9% 151 97.4% Peace Harbor Medical Center 96.6% 11 91.7% PeaceHealth - University District 100.0% 0 0.0% PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center 25.0% 0 0.0% Pioneer Memorial Hospital (Heppner) 20.0% 0 0.0% Portland VA Medical Center 57.3% 18 90.0% Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital 83.8% 3 100.0% Providence Medford Medical Center 81.5% 35 83.3% Providence Milwaukie Hospital 56.9% 11 68.8% Providence Newberg Medical Center 84.4% 11 91.7% Providence Portland Medical Center 56.0% 125 83.3% Providence Seaside Hospital 32.0% 4 57.1% Providence St. Vincent Medical Center 56.3% 134 69.1% Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center 72.1% 17 85.0% Randall Children's Hospital of Legacy Emanuel 42.9% 1 100.0% Rogue Valley Medical Center 100.0% 0 0.0% Sacred Heart Medical Center 92.7% 8 100.0% Sacred Heart Medical Center - RiverBend 83.2% 144 85.7% Sacred Heart-Riverbend 0.0% 0 0.0% Salem Health West Valley Hospital 0.0% 0 0.0% 79.0% 156 83.0% Samaritan Albany General Hospital 60.0% 7 41.2% Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital 78.8% 7 58.3% Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital 46.7% 2 22.2% Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital 67.9% 12 100.0% Santiam Memorial Hospital 8.3% 1 9.1% 71.1% 31 88.6% Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center 56.0% 2 16.7% St Charles - Madras 41.7% 5 100.0% St. Alphonsus Medical Center - Baker City, Inc. 38.5% 4 80.0% St. Alphonsus Medical Center - Ontario, Inc. 58.3% 7 100.0% St. Anthony Hospital 66.7% 7 100.0% St. Charles Medical Center - Bend 21.4% 14 21.2% St. Charles Medical Center - Redmond 22.2% 3 17.6% St. Charles Prineville 25.0% 3 50.0% Tillamook Regional Medical Center 40.4% 1 25.0% Tuality Community Hospital 67.1% 31 88.6% VA Roseburg Healthcare System 100.0% 17 100.0% Vibra Specialty Hospital Of Portland 0.0% 0 0.0% Wallowa Memorial Hospital 90.6% 8 80.0% Willamette Valley Medical Center 78.1% 26 96.3% Using OVERS… Electronic easy as 1, 2, 3 Registration of Training opportunities 1. Enroll with a user log-in and password. Contact Partner Services Death Records 2. Link to an authenticator app on your phone to request OVERS training: or install a free biometric device. 971-673-1353 3. Get training to start your first case and [email protected] receive technical support whenever you need it. For self-paced training, visit our website: Enrollment www.bit.ly/OVERStraining Call 971-673-0279 to request an Oregon Health Authority OVERS enrollment form, or download Center for Health Statistics it from our website: 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 225 www.healthoregon.org/overs Portland, OR 97232-2187 Click “Accessing OVERS” Fax: 971-673-1201 Technical support Contact the OVERS help desk 971-673-0279 Monday–Friday 8:00a.m.–5:00p.m.

You can get this document in other languages, large print, braille or a format you prefer. Contact the Center for Health Statistics at 971-673-1173. We accept all relay calls or you can dial 711. PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION Center for Health Statistics OHA 9771 (02/2020) We are vital and we count! Time to complete death records Every vital event that occurs in Oregon must be recorded and by method filed: permanently stored with the Center for Health Statistics (CHS), Date of death to date registered (2019) also known as the Oregon Vital Records office. Deaths are a 25 vital event that have been filed with Oregon Vital Records since 20.4 days 1903. Approximately 37,000 deaths occur in Oregon each year. 20 The death certificate is the official legal record of death. A 15 death certificate is needed to settle the affairs of a loved one. It 10 7.4 days

has information about the person who died and their cause of to process 5 death. Insurance companies, the Social Security Administration Number of days 0 and other agencies may ask for certified copies of the death Electronic Hybrid certificate as proof of death.

Oregon Vital Events Registration System (OVER S) makes it possible to provide timely and accurate death records to families. What is OVERS? How does it work? CHS collects death records using a secure, Death records are completed online through a web-based system known as the Oregon Vital secure website. Medical certifiers complete the Events Registration System (OVERS). same information as a paper record and certify using an authenticator app or biometric device. • In 2019, 56% of death records were entirely completed electronically. Benefits • Records processed through OVERS are • Death records can be registered automatically • Use any computer with internet access. registered about three times faster than or the next business day giving families faster • Amendments can be completed electronically hybrid (paper) records. access to certified copies. and quickly. • Over 97% of all funeral directors use OVERS • Built-in edits improve accuracy of records • Address and license number are auto-populated and can electronically send death records to and reduce the need for amendments due in the system. medical certifiers. to omissions. • Faster registration allows faster transmission • All deaths in hospitals have been required to be • Electronic records do not get lost in the mail. of death data to the Centers for Disease Control certified in OVERS since Jan. 1, 2014. • For hospital deaths, the law requiring electronic and Prevention (CDC). certification is met.