(a) (1) Preparation. Except with regard to personal particulars as specified in subdivision (b) of this section, the certificate of death and confidential medical report, if any, shall be prepared by the person required to report the same pursuant to subdivision (a) of 24 RCNY Health Code § 205.03, but when a death occurs in a hospital or en route thereto, or while under the care of a hospice, the certificate and confidential medical report shall be prepared by the physician in attendance or assisting, by the chief medical officer of the hospital or hospice, by the physician in charge of the service on which the death occurs, or by a designee of the person in charge of the hospital or hospice who is trained or approved by the Department.
(2) Certification. A certificate of death and the confidential medical report, if any, shall be certified by a physician in attendance or such physician's duly authorized medical associate, by the chief medical officer of the hospital or hospice reporting the death, or by the physician in charge of the service on which the death occurred. When a death certificate is filed by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, the certificate shall be certified by a medical examiner within that office. A person certifying a certificate and confidential medical report, if any, shall examine said documents for correctness of the information contained thereon and make necessary changes.
(b) The certificate of death and confidential medical report, if any, shall, except when such are filed electronically pursuant to 24 RCNY Health Code § 205.03(d), be prepared on forms prescribed by the Board and furnished by the Department. Computer programs specified and provided or otherwise authorized for use by the Department for electronic filing shall reflect the forms prescribed by the Board except to the extent that differences may be necessary or warranted in order to accommodate electronic formatting. The person preparing the certificate and confidential medical report, if any, pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of this section, shall enter the name of the deceased and all other information required by the form, but the information concerning the deceased characterized as "personal particulars" shall be entered by the funeral director or undertaker authorized to take charge of the remains except when the remains are to be buried in the City cemetery, in which case such personal particulars shall be entered by the person preparing the certificate pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of this section. The confidential medical report shall contain a statement of the cause of death which shall represent the physician's best opinion on the basis of all the evidence available to him or her. When the death is reported by a hospital or hospice, the information required by the forms shall be taken from the hospital or hospice records of the case. If, in a hospital or a hospice, worksheets are used in the preparation of certificates of death and confidential medical reports, they shall be provided or approved by the Department, and individuals using such worksheets shall be trained or approved by the Department. Worksheets shall be retained by the hospital or hospice for a period of three years from the date of the event, and shall, upon request, be made available to the Department for inspection.