In an effort to reduce incidence of child deaths and injuries, Massachusetts State law (MGL c. 247) now requires hospitals to report all deaths of children under the age of 18. Reports must be made to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. This law is an extension of the previous one that required reporting of deaths of children under the age of two.
All required reports of death to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are to be made by calling 617-267-6767 or 800-962-7877 as soon as possible after the death. The physician who pronounces the death is responsible for notifying the medical examiner’s office. Any question about whether a death must be reported should be reviewed with the BWH Risk Management Department (ext. 2-6442) during regular business hours or with the Office of General Counsel, attorney on-call, after regular business hours.