An Act to amend 69.01 (6g); to create 69.01 (1g) and 69.18 (1) (cL) of the statutes; Relating to: allowing advanced practice nurse prescribers to pronounce the date, time, and place of a patientâs death for purposes of the preparation of death records.
Summary
AB44 would expand Wisconsin law governing death records by authorizing advanced practice nurse prescribers to pronounce the date, time, and place of death for a patient they were directly involved in caring for, so long as the action is consistent with accepted medical standards. The bill also creates a statutory definition of “advanced practice nurse prescriber” and amends the definition of “date of death” to include pronouncements made by that provider type, alongside physicians, naturopathic doctors, coroners, medical examiners, physician assistants, and hospice nurses.
In practical terms, the bill would allow advanced practice nurse prescribers to complete an important step in the death-record process that can affect how death certificates are prepared and filed. It does not change who may handle final disposition of a corpse, but it does broaden the set of clinicians who may legally establish the official time and place of death for recordkeeping purposes.
Impact
AB44 would amend chapter 69 of the Wisconsin statutes, specifically the provisions defining “date of death” and governing preparation of death records. It would add advanced practice nurse prescribers to the list of professionals authorized to pronounce death for these purposes and create a new statutory definition for that role. The bill would affect death certificate preparation practices, hospice and end-of-life care workflows, and the authority of nursing professionals involved in a patient’s final care.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill was generally straightforward and likely noncontroversial in concept, as it expands authority for a health care profession already involved in patient care and aligns with existing practices for other licensed providers. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided material, and no evidence of organized opposition in the bill history. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, but the record provided does not indicate that the failure was due to substantive disagreement with the policy itself.
Contention
The main policy issue is whether advanced practice nurse prescribers should have the same authority as other listed clinicians to pronounce death for record-preparation purposes. Support would likely come from nursing and health care stakeholders who view the change as a practical recognition of their role in patient care, while any concern would likely center on whether the authority should remain limited to physicians or other traditionally designated officials. The bill text itself addresses this by requiring the nurse prescriber to be directly involved in the patient’s care and to act in accordance with accepted medical standards.
Crossfiled
An Act to amend 69.01 (6g); to create 69.01 (1g) and 69.18 (1) (cL) of the statutes; Relating to: allowing advanced practice nurse prescribers to pronounce the date, time, and place of a patientâs death for purposes of the preparation of death records.
Allowing advanced practice nurse prescribers to pronounce the date, time, and place of a patient’s death for purposes of the preparation of death records.
To Amend The Law Concerning Death Certificates; And To Clarify The Medical Professionals Who May Sign A Medical Certificate Of Death And Pronounce Death Of A Patient.