March 2026 – On March 17, 2026, House Bills 4077 and 4078 were signed into law, modernizing and streamlining Michigan’s death certificate certification and filing process. These bipartisan amendments to MCL 333.2843 aim to reduce administrative burden, define the legal responsibility for attending physicians and medical examiners and support grieving families.
On or before March 16, 2027, physicians are required to submit medical certifications of death using a secure, web-based system provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Individuals using this system must first complete required training. The Michigan Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) requires an internet browser, an internet connection and a MiLogin Business account. Administrative staff can assist with entering information.
Using a web-based system offers an increase in security, a decrease in errors, and more efficient reporting than filing on paper. The system is used to better coordinate the completion of a death certificate with funeral homes, medical examiners, attending physicians, county and city clerks.
These legislative updates significantly reduce paperwork and administrative hurdles for physicians, enabling them to certify deaths, within the 48 hours required by law, more efficiently and securely. The streamlined process eases physicians’ workload and ensures families receive timely access to necessary documents for burial, estate planning, and insurance purposes.
With the adoption of House Bills 4077 and 4078, Michigan physicians play an even more vital role in supporting families through loss, while benefiting from improved, user-friendly state systems that help minimize red tape and expedite essential tasks.
February 2024 – Here is a recording of our February Webinar Wednesday training session covering how data is used and how records are reviewed.
December 2021 – Change to correction request process: when you submit a correction request, the system will run an error check in the background. If there are no errors, you will not see any changes. If there are errors, you will see a notification and errors will need to be corrected before the request can be submitted.
October 2020 – For information on Improving Cause of Death Reporting and EDRS, view a recorded webcast.
Download booklet on What Physicians Should Know About Certifying Cause of Death on the Michigan Death Certificate.
Effective October 16, 2019, you will no longer need to use your fingerprint to login to EDRS or to certify a record. The new login process will use Multifactor Authentication (MFA) instead.