Collecting cause-of-death data

^{July 2017}

When collecting  death claim data, it’s important that  claim professionals  understand  what happens to that information before it is collected.    

It is fundamentally important for the claim department to communicate with other departments and individuals who utilize death claim data to ensure everyone understands the type of data being collected.  What’s the difference between the underlying cause of death and the  manner  of death?  Who completes these sections? How would confusion between the two data sets affect the claim?  This report highlights the importance of  training claims staff  on the  operational terms in death claims  so they  can  collect reliable data  for  investigations.  

This report provides five case studies that illustrate how claim examiners can confirm that they’ve pulled reliable data provided on a death certificate or other document.  Several problems  arise in each case that could stump even the most seasoned examiners.  Should an examiner recognize these situations, this report provides some alternative  approaches  when there are gaps and errors  found in cause-of-death data. The case studies also highlight some possible reasons for  these  errors in  death certificates and how to evaluate contestable claims with ambiguous documentation.  

Documentation in death claims can  stump even  claims staff. With a little more training and understanding on  collecting data  from death documentation,  claims staff can  ensures its utility and reliability  and  better  appreciate the impact of the data they collect  on a death claim investigation.