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Washington WHALES: Death Record Medical Certification

Washington requires death and stillbirth or fetal death records to be reported electronically through WHALES, the Washington Health and Life Event System. Physicians, ARNPs and PAs who certify deaths, along with medical examiners and coroners, complete the medical portion of the record, including cause of death, in the system's death registration module instead of on paper.

Who completes it

The medical certifier (physician, ARNP or PA, or the medical examiner or coroner) completes the medical certification. Others with a role in death registration complete their own parts of the same electronic record.

Submitting and payment

How to submit it
Online in WHALES, which requires enrollment plus a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account. Death and fetal death records must be registered and completed within 5 days.
Who pays
DOH lists no fee for enrolling in or using WHALES; it is the state's required reporting channel rather than a billable form.

Good to know

  • Enroll before you need it: certifiers need a role in death registration and a SecureAccess Washington account, and enrollment requests go to DOH's death registration team.
  • Stillbirth and fetal death reporting moved from paper to WHALES on June 3, 2026, and those reports are also due within 5 days.
  • WAC 246-490-200 requires electronic reporting through the WHALES death registration module, and RCW 70.58A.200 sets the reporting and registration requirements.
  • For Death with Dignity deaths, the attending provider certifies the death within 5 calendar days and files the separate DOH 422-068 after-death report within 30 days.

Get the official form

Download the current version from the source each time; forms change without notice.

WHALES (Washington Health and Life Event System) death medical certification

Official page

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Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics takes this form through its online services or your EMR, so there is no PDF to fill. Vero Scribe writes the visit note it draws on, so the details are ready when you complete it.

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How this list is checked

A form is listed only after its name and number were confirmed on the issuing agency’s or insurer’s own website, or in the form itself. Each entry links to that source. The list was last checked in October 2026. Forms and their requirements change without notice, so check the official page for the current version before you complete one.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I get access to WHALES as a medical certifier?

Set up a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account and request enrollment in WHALES from the Department of Health's death registration team; you must have a role in the death registration process. SAW has its own help line for account setup, and the Center for Health Statistics registration team answers WHALES questions on weekdays.

What is the deadline to complete a death record in WHALES?

Medical providers, medical examiners and coroners must use WHALES to register and complete a death record within 5 days. The same 5-day window applies to stillbirth and fetal death reports, which moved to WHALES on June 3, 2026. WAC 246-490-200 requires the electronic route.