Will County Coroner's Office Hospice Patient Protocol

In order to make hospice investigations less complicated and as easy as possible for families of terminally ill patients, the Will County Coroner's Office, in cooperation with Hospice Associations, has put into place the following procedures:

UPON PATIENT’S ADMISSION TO HOSPICE:

1. Any and all terminally ill Patients who are enrolled with a hospice program are required to register with the Coroner's Office in order to prevent complications that may occur at the time of death.

2. A Pre-Registration Form (attached) must be completed containing the following information: the patient's name, address, age, date of birth, social security number, next of kin, diagnosis, physician, medications, etc.   This form is to be faxed or emailed to the Will County Coroner’s Office at 815.727.8816; hospice@willcountyillinois.com, within 24 hours of admission to hospice.

3. It is necessary to notify the Coroner’s office if the terminal diagnosis is due to any falls, injuries, trauma, overdoses, etc.  There are boxes on the lower portion of the Pre-Registration Form that must be completed for any of these diagnoses.

UPON PATIENT’S DEATH:

4. A Post Mortem Form (attached) is required to be completed within 24 hours of the death, including the Patient’s date and time of death and/or any changes of the Patient’s status since the time of Pre-Registration. This form must be faxed to 815.727.8816 or emailed to:  hospice@willcountyillinois.com.

PLEASE NOTE:

5. The Pre-Registration and Post Mortem reporting forms fulfill the law that Will County Coroner’s office be notified in the case of all home deaths.

6. The Coroner's Office must be notified if the patient moves out of Will County, changes physicians, changes hospice programs, or elects to terminate hospice benefits.

7. When in doubt or if questions arise please do not hesitate to contact the Will Coroner's Office at 815.727.8455.

DOWNLOAD OR PRINT THE FORM YOU NEED, FILL IT OUT, AND RETURN AS INSTRUCTED, OR ATTACH TO AN EMAIL TO

Hospice (at) Willcountyillinois.com.