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| Welcome to OVERS! |
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Welcome to this special, overview edition of OVERS News, a newsletter from the Center for Health Statistics (CHS). OVERS, the Oregon Vital Events Registration System, is an online system that will modernize and streamline the vital records registration process–from the initial creation and registration of a vital record to making certified copies. OVERS will offer faster services and improved data quality, while meeting national standards and the requirements of the 2004 Intelligence Reform Act.
EDRS
The Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) is the first OVERS module implemented by CHS and its partners. Pilot testing occurred during summer 2006 with statewide rollout beginning in September 2006 and completing in July 2007. The birth module will be implemented in 2008 and, if funding is available, marriage, divorce and induced termination of pregnancy in 2009.
With EDRS, funeral homes and medical professionals can start a record, complete their portion of the death certificate, and sign the record online. The information is then immediately available to state and county registrars to register, correct, and issue certified copies of death certificates. An online Social Security Number verification was added in June 2007 so funeral homes do not need to send in Form SSA-721 if they register a death with EDRS. Funeral directors, medical certifiers and Medical Examiners can also submit corrections electronically.
Paper records will continue for those who choose not to participate in EDRS. Records received on paper will be entered into EDRS by state vital records staff after they are registered at the county.
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| EDRS Technology in Brief |
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| Electronically sign certificates with a fingerprint reader! |
OVERS is a secure, Web-based system, generally requiring only routine hardware and software that you likely already have. As rollout occurs, we will inform you of the specific technology requirements and help assess what else you might need in order to use EDRS. (The OVERS system requirements are also available on our website.) As an online system, security is a priority and includes security communications and biometric (fingerprint) identification of participants who are responsible for certifying or signing certificates. Fingerprint readers are the only unusual hardware and software requirements for OVERS. The state will provide 500 of these readers to OVERS participants.
In order to ensure that only legally authorized people are electronically signing the death certificate, we are using what is known as two-factor authentication. As implemented in OVERS, two-factor authentication combines something you know – a user ID and password – with something you are – your fingerprints. This is a very accurate way of verifying the identity of the funeral director and medical certifier who completed the death certificate.
In order to enroll the fingerprints of funeral directors and medical certifiers, we have developed procedures which require photo identification and a copy of their professional license. Once these are provided and verified, signers will be able to enroll their fingerprints into the system at the local county registrar’s office. We will also perform biometric enrollment during our local training sessions, on other trips around the state and in ourPortland office.
The system does not store actual fingerprint images. It only stores a digital value that is based on selected characteristics of the fingerprint and this value is created in a process that cannot be reversed. When a user signs the death certificate electronically, a digital value is created from this new fingerprint scan and compared with the value originally stored to verify the identity. It is not possible for anyone to generate actual fingerprints from these digital values, nor can they be used in any other biometric system.
More information on OVERS biometric security and privacy will soon be available from the publications page of our website.
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| Origins and Influences |
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Oregon’s existing vital records systems have significant limitations. Most systems are paper based or use outdated technology, and they no longer meet all of the needs of our partners or customers. Families need accurate and timely death certificates to settle estates of their loved ones and sometimes there are long delays.
The current systems are also unable to fully meet the needs of public health officials who need quick access to data for public health surveillance. As a result, access and analysis of cause of death data can be substantially delayed. Some of the most important information about the health of Oregonians comes from death certificates, such as infant mortality rates, leading causes of death, and life expectancy. Implementing OVERS will allow Oregon to have faster and more accurate public health information.
There are two national organizations that have been an important influence on OVERS. The first is the National Association of Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS). NAPHSIS provides national leadership in high quality public health information systems, including vital records registration. They have produced recommended standards for data collection and storage of vital records and Oregon is an active participant in the group.
The second influential organization is the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is the federal government's main health statistics agency. All states are required to submit vital records and health statistics to NCHS at regular intervals, and in specified formats.
NAPHSIS, in partnership with NCHS and the Social Security Administration, has produced electronic death registration standards. These standards were instrumental in the development of Oregon’s EDRS and allowed Oregon to minimize the time needed to develop system requirements.
OVERS will allow Oregon to remedy the shortcomings in the current vital records process. It helps meets requirements from the 2004 Intelligence Reform Act. It can also rapidly identify unusual causes of deaths that may require a public health response. Finally, it will improve customer service by enabling families to more quickly obtain certified copies of death certificates.
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| Upcoming EDRS Features |
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The EDRS system currently works well for the basic processes of entering and registering a record and issuing certified copies, but the technology will soon be capable of much more. Here are some of the upgrades we have planned.
- Funeral homes will be able to order certified copies directly through the system. They can then pick these up at their local county office.
- Replacement of the 24-hour Notice of Death cards. For funeral homes that are using EDRS, starting a case in the system will meet the requirement for notification of death. County registrars will not have separate cards to deal with and they can print death abstract reports directly from the system.
- Automatic public health messaging for unusual or rare causes of death. This will more quickly alert public health officials to situations that may require investigation, such as a potential epidemic.
We believe these upgrades will provide significant benefits to all users of the EDRS system.
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| Contact Information |
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| PDF Version of OVERS News |
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The sections above contain all of the articles in OVERS News, Overview Issue. You can also get a pdf file of the original printed newsletter.
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