Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 216 - Department of health › Chapter 60 - Laboratories and Medical Examiner › Subchapter 10 - Medical Examiner › Part 1 - Medical Examiner System (216-RICR-60-10-1) › Section 216-RICR-60-10-1.9 - Death Reporting Requirements

Current through June 14, 2024
A. Requirements for
				  reporting deaths to the OSME shall follow those prescribed in R.I. Gen. Laws
				  §
										23-4-7.
B. In addition to those prescribed in R.I.
				  Gen. Laws §
										23-4-7,
				  the following types of occurrences must be reported:
1. All maternal deaths in which there is
				  reasonable evidence to suspect a criminal abortion, and those deaths during or
				  following therapeutic abortion or delivery, and all maternal deaths up to six
				  (6) weeks following normal or abnormal delivery, and those maternal deaths
				  after six (6) weeks if thought to be due to or resulting from any procedure
				  involving pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum treatment.
2. All cases where the immediate cause of
				  death may be natural disease, but where a history of an injury exists which may
				  have been responsible for initiating the sequence of events leading to
				  death.
3. All deaths during or
				  following anesthesia, diagnostic or therapeutic procedures regardless of the
				  location, procedure, and circumstances, or regardless of survival time if death
				  is thought to be directly related to the procedure or complications resulting
				  from said procedure.
4. All fetal
				  deaths occurring without medical attendance or after delivery of a live born
				  fetus following therapeutic abortion, or when inquiry is required in accordance
				  with R.I. Gen. Laws §
											23-3-17(e).
5. All instances in which the environment of
				  present or past employment may have caused or contributed to death by trauma or
				  disease, including any consequence of any physical or toxic injury incurred
				  while employed, and including all deaths during or related to
				  employment.
6. All sudden,
				  unexpected, traumatic or any unnatural death after long term confinement of
				  patients suffering from mental and physical disorders in hospitals, or nursing
				  or personal care homes in accordance with the rules and regulations for
				  Licensing of Nursing Facilities (Part 40-10-1 of this Title).
7. All deaths in which there is reasonable
				  evidence to suspect accident, suicide, homicide, or other unnatural process or
				  unusual manner.
8. All deaths
				  occurring unexpectedly where the decedent was not under continuous medical
				  treatment for the disease or condition believed to be the cause of death
				  including:
a. instantaneous death without
				  obvious cause;
b. death during or
				  after an acute, unexplained rapidly fatal illness, including "crib death"
				  (SIDS) of young infants;
c. deaths
				  occurring in public places, such as buildings, streets, parks or like
				  areas;
d. sudden deaths occurring
				  on flights of aircraft landing in the state; or
e. sudden deaths occurring on board ship
				  docked at piers in the state or in state territorial waters.
9. All deaths in which the
				  decedent was:
a. unattended by a physician in
				  accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws §
												23-3-16(d),
b. found dead without obvious
				  cause,
c. not under treatment for
				  the apparent cause of death, or
d.
				  not seen by the attending physician within two weeks prior to death.
10. All deaths occurring, whether
				  directly or indirectly related, from a narcotic drug, medicinal substance, drug
				  treatment modality and including ethyl alcohol containing beverages, whether
				  sudden, or whether short or long term survival has occurred.
11. All deaths (whether homicide, suicide, or
				  accident) in which an external cause or agent contributes to the death
				  irrespective of the period between injury and death. External agents may
				  include mechanical, chemical, electrical, thermal or another trauma.
12. Deaths of newborns and stillbirths
				  delivered or occurring outside of a hospital or when the mother was involved in
				  a recent or past traumatic event (motor vehicle crash, suicide attempt, etc.)
				  that may have precipitated the delivery and may have a causal relationship to
				  the newborn death, and all infant deaths occurring within 24 hours of delivery
				  without known reasonable cause of death, or if the cause is suspected to be
				  traumatic before, during or after said delivery.
13. In-hospital deaths including:
a. all deaths suspected to be due to or
				  contributed to by trauma or whatever type (physical, firearms, chemical
				  abortion, etc.) including accidentally, suicidally, and homicidally inflicted
				  trauma;
b. deaths occurring while
				  under the influence of anesthesia, during the post anesthetic period without
				  the patient regaining consciousness, or following long term survival if the
				  original incident is thought to be related to the surgical procedure or the
				  anesthetic agent;
c. all deaths
				  occurring during or following therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, including
				  blood transfusions, whether thought to be related to death or independent
				  therefrom;
d. all deaths where the
				  industrial environment is suspected as cause of the terminal disease or where
				  illness began on the job or at place of employment; or
e. all deaths occurring within 24 hours of
				  admission.
14. Hospital
				  emergency room deaths including:
a. all cases
				  "dead on arrival",
b. deaths due to
				  or suspected from trauma in accordance with §
												1.9(B)(11)
				    of this Part, and
c. deaths
				  occurring within 24 hours of entry into the emergency room.
15. In-hospital or emergency room deaths
				  specified in §§
											1.9(B)(13) and
				  (14)   of this Part, where the attending
				  physician has no adequate or reasonable explanation of the cause of
				  death.