Deaths Reportable to the Coroner

Not all reported cases fall into the below categories. After the investigation is completed, many will be returned to the jurisdiction or institution where the death certificate will be signed by the attending physician as a natural death. Only the Coroner can legally sign a death certificate of a person who has died as a direct or indirect result of any cause listed in the following reportable deaths.

Ohio law requires the Coroner to be notified when a person dies:

• •Of criminal violence
• •By accident
• •By suicide
• •Suddenly, when in apparent good health
• •Unattended by a physician licensed in the State of Ohio
• •In any prison or penal institution
• •In police custody
• •By criminal abortion
• •By poison
• •By undiagnosed or unconfirmed disease constituting a threat to public health
• •By disease, injury, or toxic agent resulting from employment
• •And is unidentifiable due to injury or decomposition
• •Outside of health care facility and there is no next of kin
• •And is under the age of eighteen

Types of Death Reportable to the Coroner's Office

Reportable deaths to the coroner typically include those that are sudden, unexpected, or occur under suspicious or unusual circumstances. This can involve deaths from violence, accidents, suicide, or when the cause of death is unknown. Additionally, deaths that occur without medical attendance or within a short time after admission to a healthcare facility may also need to be reported, as outlined in the Reportable Deaths to the Coroner(PDF, 398KB) document.

Before Reporting a Death

When reporting a death to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, callers will be speaking to a member of the Coroner’s Investigative Unit. Law enforcement and medical personnel will be asked a long series of questions regarding the decedent and the death scene. This information is used to determine if the decedent is legally a Coroner’s case, if an investigator will be dispatched, or if the body can be released to the family.

A Death Call Data Sheet(PDF, 427KB) may be obtained here. This Data Sheet will provide the reporting individual with a template of questions that our Investigator will ask regarding the death.

How to Report a Death

When a person dies under any of the above circumstances, the death shall be reported to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office. In order to report a death, call (614) 525-5290, give your name, agency and phone number and say “I wish to report a death”. Please consult the Franklin County Coroner’s Office regarding any death about which you have any doubt or question.

Information for Physicians and Medical Personnel

The Franklin County Coroner’s Office is not a covered entity subject to HIPAA.

HIPAA privacy standards permit a physician or other healthcare provider to disclose protected health information to Coroners and funeral directors without the consent or authorization of the patient or the patient’s representative.

Under Ohio law, Federal law, and HIPAA, a physician may disclose protected health information to a Coroner or Medical Examiner (and if the physician also performs the duties of a Coroner or Medical Examiner, the physician may use protected health information) for the purpose of identifying a deceased person, determining cause of death, or other duties as authorized by law.

A physician or other healthcare provider may also disclose protected health information to funeral directors, consistent with Ohio law, as necessary for funeral directors to carry out their duties with respect to the decedent. If necessary to carry out their duties, protected health information may be disclosed to funeral directors prior to, and in reasonable anticipation of, an individual’s death.

Ohio law specifically provides for cooperation with the Office of the Coroner. Cooperation is necessary for proper investigation and examination. Requests may be made for photocopies of all hospital records, including nursing notes, to supply background for accurate evaluation of the case. Blood and other specimens may be obtained upon admission to the hospital may also be requested. Medical personnel are encouraged to discuss the case with the Coroner as well as the Coroner’s Investigators.

Medical apparatus such as: endotracheal tubes, airways, monitor pads, CVP-IV lines, pacemakers, drain tubes, catheters or similar equipment must be retained in their original positions on the body. All intravenous fluids and substances (including blood) being given to the patient at the time of or just prior to death must, likewise, accompany the body.

Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 3705.16 states “the medical certificate of death shall be completed and signed by the physician who attended the decedent or by the Coroner or Medical Examiner, as appropriate, within forty-eight (48) hours after the death…”. Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) 3701-5-01 defines an “attending physician” as “the physician in charge of the patient’s care for the illness or condition that resulted in death”.

According to the Ohio Attorney General, the definition of “attending physician” only provides guidance and does not control the interpretation of “the physician who attended the deceased”. The Attorney General believes that the use of the verb “attend” permits the inference that “the physician must have cared for or had contact with the deceased at the time of or immediately prior to death”. Thus, the Attorney General would distinguish “the physician who attended the deceased” from “any other physician without professional contact with the deceased at or just prior to death”.(OAG 76-026). Therefore, the death certificate should be completed and signed by the physician who had professional contact with the deceased at the time of or immediately prior to death. For example, if a patient dies in the emergency department (ED) after being attended by the ED physician, the ED physician shall complete and sign the death certificate.

Various Laws and Attorney General Opinions regarding the Office of the Coroner

The following listings of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) are listed so that the reporting institution or responsible individual may fully understand that providing information to the Coroner is to comply with the law and that failure to do so would place that person in jeopardy of prosecution.

ORC Section 313.11 Unlawfully disturbing a body.
ORC Section 313.12 Notification of the Coroner in case of death by violence or suicide.
ORC Section 1713.42 Prohibition against unlawful possession of a corpse.
ORC Section 2921.22 Failure to report a crime.
ORC Section 2927.01 Abuse of a corpse.

See the Ohio Revised Code and Ohio Administrative Code.