Physicians
How do I report a death?
Call our office at 801-816-3850 and ask to talk with an investigator.
What types of deaths do I need to report?
You must report sudden, unexpected, violent, suspicious, or unattended deaths to our office. This includes deaths from past complications or trauma. For example: A person was injured during a physical fight and died years later from a complication of their long-term injury.
Call us at 801-816-3850 and ask to talk with an investigator if you’re not sure if a death falls under our jurisdiction.
Some deaths that are related to accidental trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident, can be classified as a “designated representative” (also called DesRep). A DesRep cases means that the decedent’s medical provider has enough information regarding the injuries (including medical diagnoses and tests) to determine the cause and manner of death and submit these for the death certificate. We still assign DesRep cases an OME case number, but the body won’t be transported to our office.
What information do I need to provide when I report a death?
We will ask you for information about the deceased person, including their personal information, diagnoses, and the treatments they received. We use this information to determine if the person’s death is in our jurisdiction.
If the death isn’t in our jurisdiction, we consider it an "inquiry." We take notes from inquiries and file these in our case management system.
Do I need to report a death if I was caring for the patient when they died?
If the patient died from an illness that you were providing treatment for, you don’t need to report the death to our office. You can submit the cause and manner of death for the death certificate in the Utah Mortality Application Portal (UMAP).
If you’re not sure if a death falls in our jurisdiction, call our office at 801-816-3850 and ask to talk with an investigator. They will ask you for information about the deceased person to determine if the person’s death is in our jurisdiction or not.
What happens if the death falls under your jurisdiction?
If a death falls under our jurisdiction and isn’t classified as a DesRep case, we will start a death investigation.
There are many parts to a death investigation:
- Scene investigation. Medical examiner investigators photograph and document the body and scene, interview family members about the deceased’s medical and social history, and work with law enforcement to learn more about the death. Their work helps the medical examiner determine the manner and cause of death.
- Postmortem exam. The postmortem examination is performed by a medical examiner. In Utah, all medical examiners are medical doctors board-certified in forensic pathology. The medical examiner will do a physical exam that documents things such as the deceased’s clothing, hair and eye color, and injuries. Not all cases need an autopsy—but if one is needed, the medical examiner will examine the internal organs for disease or injuries that caused or contributed to death. They also collect blood and tissue samples for further testing, such as drug or alcohol testing.
- Other records. The medical examiner looks at other records, such as medical records or law enforcement records. We learn more about the deceased person by contacting their friends and family members. We want to get a full picture of the person’s life because this helps us determine how they died.
Do you need the patient’s medical records?
We may request patient records for our investigation. We primarily look for information about the patient’s diagnoses, treatments they received, prescribed medications, and a description of what happened before and during their death.
Utah Code states that you must complete record requests from our office within 10 days.
How do I fill out a death certificate?
Use this resource to fill out death certificates correctly.
Note: Be sure to fill out the cause of death section correctly with the chain of events—including diseases, injuries, or complications—that directly caused the death. Do not use terminal events such as cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, or ventricular fibrillation as the cause of death without showing their etiology.
It is important to make sure you are filling out the death certificate correctly. If the death certificate is incorrect, we may ask you to clarify the information and update it.
Why are you reviewing a death certificate I filled out?
The DHHS Office of Vital Records and Statistics asks us to review death certificates for the following reasons:
- The information on the death certificate shows the death was in our office’s jurisdiction, but it wasn’t reported to our office.
- The death certificate has inaccurate or confusing information.
- The cause or manner of death doesn’t match the other information on the death certificate.
- The deceased wasn’t seen by a medical provider within 1 year before their death.
- The remains are being cremated.
- The remains are being transported out of Utah.
Can I get more information about your investigation?
You can order a copy of the report of examination. A report of examination has detailed information from the deceased person’s postmortem exam and death investigation.
We only give copies of this report to the deceased person’s immediate family members, police officers, attorneys, and health care providers.
How do I get a copy of the report of examination?
Mail a letter of request on letterhead stationery to our address. The letter of request must be signed by a physician.
Our mailing address is:
Utah Office of the Medical Examiner
4451 South 2700 West
Taylorsville, UT 84129
We’ll send a copy of the report to you within 3 business days of receiving your request. If the report isn’t finished when we get your request, we’ll send you a copy of the report when it’s ready.