An Act
ENROLLED HOUSE
BILL NO. 3540 By: Caldwell (Chad) of the
House
and
Pugh of the Senate
An Act relating to physician assistants; amending 63
O.S. 2021, Section 1-317, which relates to death
certificates; permitting physician assistants to sign
the medical certification of a death certificate; and
providing an effective date .
SUBJECT: Physician assistants
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEO PLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 63 O.S. 2021, Section 1-317, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 1-317. A. A death certificate for each death which
occurs in this state shall be filed with the State Departme nt of
Health, within three (3) days after such death.
B. The funeral director shall personally sign the death
certificate and shall be resp onsible for filing the death
certificate. If the funeral director is not available, the person
acting as such who f irst assumes custody of a dead body in
accordance with Section 1158 of Ti tle 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes
shall personally sign and file the death certificate. The personal
data shall be obtained from the next of kin or the best qualified
person or source available. The certificate shall be completed as
to personal data and del ivered to the attending physician or th e
medical examiner responsi ble for completing the medical
certification portion of the certificate of death within twenty -four
(24) hours after the death. No later than July 1, 2012, the
personal data, and no later t han July 1, 2017, the medical ENR. H. B. NO. 3540 Page 2
certificate portion, shall be entere d into the prescribed electronic
system provided by the State Registrar of Vital Statistics and the
information submitted to the State Registrar of Vital Statistics.
The resultant certifica te produced by the electronic system sh all be
provided to the phys ician or medical examiner for medical
certification within twenty -four (24) hours after the death.
C. The medical certification shall be completed and signed
within forty-eight (48) hours after death by the physician or
advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant in charge
of the patient's care for the illness or condition which resulted in
death, except when inquiry as to the cause of death is required by
Section 938 of this t itle. No later than July 1, 2017, the medical
certification portion of certificate data shall be entered into the
prescribed electronic system provided by the State Registrar of
Vital Statistics and the information submitted to the State
Registrar of Vital Statistics.
D. In the event that t he physician or advanced practice
registered nurse or physician assistant in charge of the patient 's
care for the illness or condition which resul ted in death is not in
attendance at the time of death, the medical certi fication shall be
completed and signed within forty-eight (48) hours after death by
the physician or advanced practice registered nurse or physician
assistant in attendance at the tim e of death, except:
1. When the patient is under hospice care at the tim e of death,
the medical certificatio n may be signed by the hospice 's medical
director; and
2. When inquiry as to the cause of deat h is required by Section
938 of this title.
Provided, that such certification, if signed by other than the
attending physician or advanced practice registered nurse or
physician assistant, shall note on the face the name of the
attending physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice
registered nurse and that the information shown is only as reported.
E. A certifier compl eting cause of death on a certifi cate of
death who knows that a lethal drug, overdose or other me ans of
assisting suicide within the meaning of Sections 3141.2 through
3141.4 of this title caused or contributed to the death shall list
that means among the chain of events under cause of de ath or list it
in the box that describ es how the injury occurred . If such means is ENR. H. B. NO. 3540 Page 3
in the chain of events under cause of death or in the box that
describes how the injury occurred, the certifier shall indicate
"suicide" as the manner of death.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2022.
ENR. H. B. NO. 3540 Page 4
Passed the House of Representatives the 8th day of March, 2022.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
Passed the Senate the 27th day of April, 2022.
Presiding Officer of the Senate
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Received by the Office of the Governor this ____________________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________
Approved by the Governor of the Stat e of Oklahoma this _____ ____
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
_________________________________
Governor of the State of Oklahoma
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
Received by the Office of the Secretary of State thi s __________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________