Decedent Affairs Coordinator at Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, Oregon

Decedent Affairs Coordinator

US-OR-Portland

Requisition ID: 2026-38023
Position Category: Administrative/Office Support
Job Type: AFSCME union represented
Position Type: Regular Part-Time
Posting Department: Administrator on Duty
Posting Salary Range: 38,794.50 - $58,747 per year with offer based on experience, education and internal equity
Posting FTE: 0.50
Posting Schedule: Variable
Posting Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm
HR Mission: Healthcare
Drug Testable: No

Department Overview

This position provides functional direction and monitoring for the OHSU Decedent Affairs Program, including daily operations, auditing, reporting and compliance. The Decedent Affairs Coordinator acts as the principal Administrator for the Oregon Vital Events Registration System (OVERS) for the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) and obtains death certification for every hospital death. The Program Coordinator ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, Oregon law and Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board Rules and Regulations. This role is responsible for coordination of organ and tissue donation, OHSU autopsy, release of human remains to the Medical Examiner, designated funeral director or Next of Kin, and supports research initiatives related to the Program. The Program Coordinator compiles and reports data to internal stakeholders

for continuous improvement purposes.

The Decedent Affairs Program Coordinator has daily contact with distressed individuals experiencing the loss of a loved one either in person or by phone, often through an interpreter. The coordinator collaborates with internal and external customers to ensure an individualized approach to family needs with respect to religious and cultural norms and personal preference, facilitating unique arrangements when possible and providing viewing of the deceased when appropriate.

Function/Duties of Position

Provides program direction through coordination of functions and employees engaged in program activities, including:

• Designs systems and processes to efficiently manage decedent affairs activities
• Track's location and status of human remain of patients who die at OHSU
• Coordinates organ and tissue donation
• Coordinates autopsy and distribution of reports to providers and Next of Kin
• Works with legal next of kin (NOK) to develop disposition plans for deceased
• Provides for family viewing of deceased as appropriate
• Releases human remains to NOK, funeral homes, cremation services, and Medical Examiners (ME) in accordance with legal standards · Obtains electronic death certification from pronouncing providers
• Verifies accuracy of all relevant communication and documentation
• Supports specialty services by creating and implementing processes unique to specific patient population needs, including special arrangements for fetal remains
• Provides support to the Women and Children's Division by implementing and creating processes to best serve this unique patient population, including special arrangements for fetal and neonatal losses.
• Facilitates consent and processes for the OHSU Neuropathology
• Develops Decedent Affairs processes to support new research projects as identified

Principal OHSU Administrator for the Oregon Vital Events Registration System (OVERS) for the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS)

• Enrolls and instructs medical certifiers on electronic death certification
• Creates, maintains and implements processes for onboarding medical certifiers new to OHSU, including house staff during annual GME turnover
• Acts as OHSU resource to local system administrators in ambulatory practices
• Acts as the primary contact for the Oregon State Office of Vital Records on EDRS at OHSU
• Gathers, compiles and provides documentation to the OHSU Birth Clerk for complete and accurate fetal loss reporting in OVERS
• Compiles and submits a monthly report of OHSU hospital deaths to the Oregon State Office of Vital Records

Regulatory and Legal Compliance

• Ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and laws
• Ensures required disclosures of Protected Health Information specific to Decedent Affairs are entered in the OHSU Accounting of Disclosures data base in compliance with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Ensures OHSU compliance with Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (COP) regarding organ and tissue donation
• Ensures OHSU demonstrates respect for patient rights as defined by CMS related to organ and tissue donation
• Ensures complete and accurate documentation of organ/tissue donation disclosure, consent, decline or medical rule-out in the Integrated Health Record
• Maintains Morgue Surge Plan readiness in the Healthcare Emergency Operations Plan
• Ensures compliance with Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board Rules and Regulations

Reporting

• Compiles and reports Decedent Affairs Program data for use by internal stakeholders, including:
• Trauma Surgery regarding ME and OHSU autopsy for program development and survey by the American College of Surgeons
• The Adult Palliative Care Consult service used to trend consults
• The Knight Oncology services used to trend autopsy rates Pediatric Palliative Care "Bridges" for bereavement follow up Yes
• School of Medicine (SOM) Chairs to trend mortality rates by provider
• SOM Residency Directors use of autopsy reports in GME II. Monitoring
• Ensures functional status of facilities and physical plant processes related to Decedent Affairs
• Monitors and ensures preparedness of the hospital morgue
• Reports functional compromise of morgue refrigeration
• Collaborates with Public Safety and Facilities to maintain funeral home access to Basic Sciences' morgue

Required Qualifications

• Five years of experience with responsibility for program or project monitoring and coordination. The experience must have included program evaluation responsibility.

• A bachelor’s degree in business administration, Management, Public Administration, or a field directly related to the position will substitute for two years of the required experience.

• Oregon Funeral Director's license
• Oregon Licensed Funeral Service Practitioner

Job Related Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (Competencies):

• Exceptional communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work with distressed individuals experiencing the loss of a loved one.

Preferred Qualifications

• Mortuary Science degree

Additional Details

The Decedent Affairs Coordinator works in an environment where exposure to human tissue and body fluids is routine.

Benefits:

• Healthcare Options - Covered 100% for full-time employees and 88% for dependents, and $25K of term life insurance provided at no cost to the employee
  
• Two separate above market pension plans to choose from
  
• Vacation- up to 200 hours per year depending on length of service
  
• Sick Leave- up to 96 hours per year
  
• 8 paid holidays per year
  
• Substantial Tri-met and C-Tran discounts
  
• Additional Programs including Tuition Reimbursement and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)