PORT ANGELES — Clallam County is switching to an electronic filing system for death records.
The shift from paper to the Electronic Death Registration System is part of an overhaul at the state Department of Health to improve efficiency and accuracy.
“EDRS will streamline the death registration process, improve the quality of the death data collected and improve communication among those who file,” Clallam County Public Health Program Manager Christina Dettra said in a Friday press release.
By the end of next month, Clallam County will have joined Benton, Franklin, Mason, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Spokane and Thurston counties in using the Electronic Death Registration System.
Thousands of medical providers already are filing death records electronically, Dettra said.
“Physicians will quickly complete a death record from any computer with Web access and file it with a single click,” Dettra said.
“This paperless system does not require extensive computer knowledge. It will streamline communication between funeral directors and physicians and eliminate the need to fax or sign paper records. It will offer a fast, easy, more accurate way to file.”
Families will get death certificates faster — and will be able to do so from any health jurisdiction in the state — because delays with paper processing will be reduced, Dettra said.
“Funeral homes will save time and money by collecting physicians’ signatures electronically,” she said.
“The people of Washington will benefit by having immediate and accurate death data used to combat public health threats.”
To reach the Clallam County Health and Human Services registrar office, phone 360-417-2274.
For more information on the Electronic Death Registration System, phone 855-562-1928 or email EDRS@doh.wa.gov.
