NEWPORT BEACH : Death Certificate Sets Off Brouhaha

Richard Taylor and his wife say they had been impressed with the care that her 80-year-old mother had received at Hoag Hospital before she died of cancer. One of the nurses had even attended the woman’s last birthday celebration, bringing a cake she had made.

But since Dorothy Armstrong died last Saturday morning, relations with the hospital have soured. In fact, Richard Taylor filed a criminal complaint with the Newport Beach Police Department on Wednesday, after completion of a death certificate for his mother-in-law was delayed more than four days after she died.

According to California Health and Safety regulations, a death certificate must be completed by the attending physician or an associate physician no more than 15 hours after the pronouncement of death. Violation of the code is a misdemeanor.

Hoag spokeswoman Gail Love said the hospital is not responsible for the death certificate. Technically, she said, it is a matter between the physician and the patient’s family.

“I feel that we could have assisted in this situation if we could have known earlier,” Love said. “It is very unfortunate, and we extend our sympathies to the family.”

But Taylor maintains that no matter who is at fault for the mistakes, somebody should have helped them.

“The fact is that something should have been done, so this family would never have to go through this,” he said. “I don’t want this going on in a hospital that I support.”

The trouble, according to Taylor, arose Tuesday, the morning of Armstrong’s funeral. Mortuary employees called to say that they were unable to get anyone at the hospital to complete the death certificate, he said.

Normally, the mortuary takes care of these details for their clients, according to attorney Douglas Meyer, who represents Pacific View Mortuary, through which the Taylors had arranged services. Though Meyer refused to comment on specifics, he said it is the attending physician’s responsibility to complete the certificate.

On Saturday afternoon, Armstrong’s physician, Dr. Michael Schlutz of Newport Beach, had left on vacation before a certificate had been signed.

The fact that there was no death certificate meant that no burial could take place, and although there was a church service held Tuesday afternoon, Taylor said the family had to delay burial until they could work out the certificate problem.

By Tuesday evening, a message appeared on his family answering machine informing them that the certificate had been signed but could not be turned over to the mortuary because it had closed for the evening.

It was 10 a.m. Wednesday before interment could take place.

Schlutz’s office said there were physicians available throughout the weekend to sign the documents, had the mortuary contacted them. Wednesday afternoon, Schlutz remained on vacation and was unavailable for comment.

Taylor said it’s now up to the Police Department to sort out the blame.

“This is definitely an unusual crime report,” said police spokesman Lt. Tim Newman, after reviewing the complaint. “In my 13 years of police experience, I’ve never really heard of anything like it.”