10/31/2005

Ohio Introduces its New Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS)

by Mark Kassouf, Assistant State Registrar

The State of Ohio Introduces its New Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS)
Mark Kassouf, Assistant State Registrar, Office of Vital Statistics

On July 1, 2005, the Ohio Department of Health rolled out its new Web based Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS). This system originally designed to be a pilot project to assist in the design of a much larger EDRS system in 2007 has evolved into a system which is currently being used by all Ohio Coroners.
The change in direction occurred due to the passage of H. B. 257 which required new information to be reported on the death certificate for all deaths to females who die of a suspicious or violent nature. Since all cases that fall under this new law are handled by the coroners' offices, it was decided that these changes would be added to the EDRS system as opposed to redesigning all death certificates statewide.
The State of Ohio is making the Web based EDRS system available free of charge to all funeral directors. The current system is voluntary for use by funeral directors and is designed to allow funeral directors to enter the demographic information about the deceased and then allow the coroner to complete the medical certification portion of the death certificate, print and sign the certificate to give it to the funeral director for filing.

If a funeral director does not participate in this system and has a coroner's case, the coroner will enter the deceased person's First, Middle and Last Name, Date of Death, Gender and Date of Birth along with the medical certification portion and the funeral director will be responsible for typing or printing the additional missing demographic information on the printed death certificate.

To make the registration process easier, the State of Ohio has developed an on-line self registration process. By entering specific information into this system, the system will be able to verify your identity as a licensed funeral director and assign you a User ID and Password. Once you have access to the system, you will be able to generate death certificates. The system may also be used by you to generate death certificates which are not coroner cases, however the system is not accessible by physicians at this point in time. You will be able to generate the demographic portion of the death certificate and forward it to the physician for completion.

To register for the EDRS system, please go to the Internet and enter the following URL:
https://odhgateway.state.oh.us
Once you access this website you will need to enter a generic user ID and password.
The user ID is: funeral and the password is: director-0
You will be prompted to answer questions that will identify you as a licensed funeral director.
Once your registration has been verified you will receive an e-mail notifying you of your User ID and Password. You will also receive a EDRS User Manual and Getting Started Tips to help you get started.