1. A physician who anticipates the death of a patient because of an illness, infirmity or disease may authorize a specific registered nurse or physician assistant or the registered nurses or physician assistants employed by a medical facility or program for hospice care to make a pronouncement of death if they attend the death of the patient. An advanced practice registered nurse who anticipates the death of a patient because of an illness, infirmity or disease may authorize a specific registered nurse or the registered nurses employed by a medical facility or program for hospice care to make a pronouncement of death if they attend the death of the patient.

2. Such an authorization is valid for 120 days. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, the authorization must:

(a) Be a written order entered on the chart of the patient;

(b) State the name of the registered nurse or nurses or physician assistant or assistants authorized to make the pronouncement of death; and

(c) Be signed and dated by the physician or advanced practice registered nurse.

3. If the patient is in a medical facility or under the care of a program for hospice care, the physician may authorize the registered nurses or physician assistants employed by the facility or program, or an advanced practice registered nurse may authorize such a registered nurse, to make pronouncements of death without specifying the name of each nurse or physician assistant, as applicable.

4. If a pronouncement of death is made by a registered nurse or physician assistant, the physician or advanced practice registered nurse who authorized that action shall sign the medical certificate of death within 24 hours after being presented with the certificate.

5. If a patient in a medical facility is pronounced dead by a registered nurse or physician assistant employed by the facility, the registered nurse or physician assistant may release the body of the patient to a licensed funeral director pending the completion of the medical certificate of death by the attending physician or attending advanced practice registered nurse if the physician, advanced practice registered nurse or the medical director or chief of the medical staff of the facility has authorized the release in writing.

6. The Board may adopt regulations concerning the authorization of a registered nurse or physician assistant to make pronouncements of death.

7. As used in this section:

(a) “Advanced practice registered nurse” means a registered nurse who holds a valid license as an advanced practice registered nurse issued by the State Board of Nursing pursuant to NRS 632.237.

(b) “Medical facility” means:

(1) A facility for skilled nursing as defined in NRS 449.0039;

(2) A facility for hospice care as defined in NRS 449.0033;

(3) A hospital as defined in NRS 449.012;

(4) An agency to provide nursing in the home as defined in NRS 449.0015; or

(5) A facility for intermediate care as defined in NRS 449.0038.

(c) “Physician assistant” means a person who holds a license as a physician assistant pursuant to chapter 630 or 633 of NRS.

(d) “Program for hospice care” means a program for hospice care licensed pursuant to chapter 449 of NRS.

(e) “Pronouncement of death” means a declaration of the time and date when the cessation of the cardiovascular and respiratory functions of a patient occurs as recorded in the patient’s medical record by the attending provider of health care in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

(Added to NRS by 1993, 1158; A 1999, 247; 2005, 2519; 2007, 1855; 2017, 1755)