68-3-504 - Reports of fetal death. - Tennessee Statutes

68-3-504. Reports of fetal death.

(a)  (1)  Each fetal death of five hundred (500) grams or more, or, in the absence of weight, of twenty-two (22) completed weeks' gestation or more, that occurs in this state, shall be reported to the office of vital records within ten (10) days after delivery.

     (2)  When a dead fetus is delivered in an institution, the person in charge of the institution, or the person's designated representative, shall prepare and file the report.

     (3)  When a dead fetus is delivered outside an institution, the physician in attendance at or immediately after the delivery shall prepare and file the report.

(b)  The name of the father shall be entered on the fetal death report, in accordance with the provisions of § 68-3-305.

(c)  When a fetal death required to be reported by this section occurs without medical attendance at or immediately after the delivery, or when inquiry is required, the medical examiner shall investigate the cause and shall prepare and file the report.

(d)  (1)  For those fetal deaths that are delivered in the third trimester of pregnancy, certified copies of the reports required under this section may be issued to the parents who are listed on the report, if requested; provided that medical information related to pregnancy history and delivery would not be shown on a certified copy.

     (2)  The department is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of subdivision (d)(1).

[Acts 1977, ch. 128, § 16; 1979, ch. 117, § 1; T.C.A., § 53-473; Acts 1998, ch. 969, §§ 1, 2.]