§ 4161 — Pregnancy loss certificates; form and content; health care professionals and hospital administrators

§ 4161. Pregnancy loss certificates; form and content; health care\nprofessionals and hospital administrators. 1. The certificate of\npregnancy loss and the report of pregnancy loss shall contain such\ninformation and be in such form as the commissioner may prescribe;\nprovided however that commencing on or after the implementation date\nunder section forty-one hundred forty-eight of this article, information\nand signatures required by this subdivision shall be obtained and made\nin accordance with section forty-one hundred forty-eight of this\narticle, except that unless requested by the individual who experienced\nthe pregnancy loss neither the certificate nor the report of pregnancy\nloss shall contain the name of the individual, such individual's social\nsecurity number or any other information, alone or in combination, which\nwould permit such individual to be identified except as provided in this\nsubdivision. The report shall state that a certificate of pregnancy loss\nwas filed with the commissioner and the date of such filing.\n 2. In each case where a health care provider licensed pursuant to\ntitle eight of the education law and acting within the scope of such\nhealth care provider's practice was in attendance at or after a\npregnancy loss, it is the duty of such health care provider to certify\nthe pregnancy loss certificate.\n 3. Where a pregnancy loss occurs without the attendance of a health\ncare provider as provided in subdivision two of this section and the\nindividual experiencing the pregnancy loss seeks disposition of the\nproducts of conception in accordance with section forty-one hundred\nsixty-two of this title, such individual may present themselves to the\ncoroner or medical director of the county, or if there be more than one,\nto a coroner having jurisdiction, or to the medical examiner to certify\nthe pregnancy loss certificate. Provided, however, nothing in this\nsection shall provide the coroner, medical director, or medical examiner\nwith the authority to investigate an individual who experienced a\npregnancy loss.\n 4. When a pregnancy loss occurs in a hospital, except in those cases\nwhere certificates are issued by coroners or medical examiners, the\nperson in charge of such hospital or such person's designated\nrepresentative shall ensure that the certificate is promptly prepared in\naccordance with the provisions of this article and regulations as\npromulgated by the commissioner.\n