eCedent Frequently Asked Questions:
Funeral Home Edition
Thank you for using eCedent, the online software that’s revolutionizing how death certificates are done! We’ve prepared a list of frequently asked questions and answers to help you get the most from eCedent. If you don’t see your question here, please scroll down for more information about how to contact our technical support team.
How do I login to eCedent?
What should I do if I forget my password?
How do I change my password or PIN?
How do I start working with decedent records?
How do I open an existing record?
What are the different categories of cases on my Home page, and how are cases divided into these categories?
What do I do with cases under New Certificates Assigned to You?
How can I tell quickly which Incomplete Certificate records have been certified (signed), or declined by a physician?
A completed record I want to print or view is missing from the list. How do I access completed decedent records?
How do I create a NEW death certificate and purchase service for it?
How does the Purchase Certificate Service process work?
I’ve created and paid for a new certificate; what do I do next?
How do I assign a physician?
How do I add a new physician so his or her name will be available in my shortlist’s drop-down menu from now on?
A physician in my shortlist is no longer needed; how do I remove the name?
What happens after I assign a physician?
What if I need to reassign the case to another physician?
How do I add or change information about the decedent and disposition?
How can I be sure my work is being saved?
Oops -- I made a mistake and want to clear a screen and start over. How do I do that?
How do I return to the previous screen?
How do I sign (and/or print) a death certificate?
My question(s) was not addressed in this FAQ section! Where can I get help?
How do I login to eCedent?
Using your Internet browser, go to www.ecedent.com. Enter your username (your complete email address) and password on the right-hand side of the Home page, then click Sign In. Usernames and passwords are case-sensitive, which means you should enter them carefully, exactly as they were originally created (using a combination of upper- and lower-case letters if needed).
What should I do if I forget my password?
Enter your username, then select Forgot Password (located beneath the login area), and the system will guide you through a few simple steps. You will be asked to supply an email address (your username) where you want the password sent, and to click the Submit button. eCedent will send an email to you at that address, containing your password.
How do I change my password or PIN?
You can change your password and PIN anytime you like. After login, go to my account (see the link in the upper-right corner of your screen). Select Change Your Username or Change Your PIN. On the next screen, you will be asked to supply your current and new information, and to confirm the changes by clicking the Submit button. eCedent will send you an email containing your new password or PIN.
How do I start working with decedent records?
First, you must be logged in. After successful login, the system will open your Home page, from which you can access all your cases. Notice that your facility’s name, address, and phone number should appear in the upper right-hand area of the screen.
How do I open an existing record?
Single-left-click on a decedent’s name to select that record.
What are the different categories of cases on my Home page, and how are cases divided into these categories?
There are three different categories of cases displayed on your Home page:
- New Certificates Assigned to You
- Incomplete Certificates
- Completed Certificates
The Home page first displays a list of all New Certificates Assigned to You (including name, date of death, and who assigned the case to you). These come from Health Information Management departments at hospitals or skilled nursing facilities. You will need to accept (if the case is yours) or decline (if an error has been made and/or it is not your case) each new certificate assigned to you.
The second grouping on the Home page is the list of Incomplete Certificates (including each decedent’s social security number, date of death, and physician certification status). The records are listed in order by date of death, with the most recent dates of death listed first. These are the cases you have Accepted and paid for, and which need to be completed and signed.
At the bottom of the page is the link allowing you to View Completed Certificates. These are certificates that have been signed by the physician or coroner handling the case, and by your funeral home. eCedent automatically “moves” cases from the Incomplete list to the Completed list once they are signed.
What do I do with cases under New Certificates Assigned to You?
As outlined above, these are brand-new cases you are being asked to either decline or accept. Single-left-click on the decedent name to open the record, and you will be taken to the Accept Certificate page. Then choose either the red Decline button or the green Purchase Certificate Service button.
When you Accept a new certificate, you should immediately pay for it online. Clicking on the green Purchase Certificate Service button will take you to the Purchase Certificate page. Purchasing a certificate with eCedent is safe and secure. The system will automatically “remember” and show you the credit card you used to make your prior purchase(s). To use this card again, click the green “Purchase with this card” button. To enter new credit card information, fill in all the required data fields shown in that section and click the green “Purchase with new card” button. eCedent will then display a Receipt page, which confirms your purchase and can be printed for your records using the blue Print a Receipt option at the right-hand side of the screen. From the Receipt page, you can also click the green Go to the Certificate button in the lower right-hand corner.
Upon successful completion of the payment process, the case will move into your list of Incomplete Certificates so you can add information, save data, and so on.
Please note that if you Decline a case, it will go back to the Health Information Management (medical records) person who assigned it to you so that another funeral home can be selected. The case will also disappear from the list on your Home page.
How can I tell quickly which Incomplete Certificate records have been certified (signed), or declined by a physician?
These important statuses will be shown in green (for certified/signed) and red (for declined) to make them easy to spot.
A completed record I want to print or view is missing from the list. How do I access completed decedent records?
Scroll down and choose View Completed Certificates at the lower left corner of your Home page. (These are certificates that have been signed by the physician or coroner handling the case, and by your funeral home, and they are ready for printing.) The system will take you to a new page where your Completed Certificates will be listed, with the most recently deceased first. You can also search by decedent’s last name or date of death to locate a particular record. Use the green Print Certificate button on the data page. In the next screen, choose the green Print A Certificate button. The certificate will open in a new window as PDF document. To print it, select the print icon in the upper right-hand portion of the screen; or, under File, select Print.
How do I create a NEW death certificate and purchase service for it?
On your Home page, click on the green Create A New Certificate button. You will be taken to a new record screen. Enter the decedent’s full name, his or her social security number, birthdate, and sex in the upper portion of the screen. Proceed by filling in the date of death (click on the calendar for help), military time and place of death, facility name, county, and city/boro or township. Finish by clicking on the Purchase Certificate Service button to be sure your data is saved. If you move to another screen (by using your browser’s Forward or Back buttons) before doing so, your data will be lost. To exit the screen without purchasing, click Cancel and you will be returned to your Home page.
How does the Purchase Certificate Service process work?
You will be taken to the Purchase Certificate page. The system will automatically “remember” and show you the credit card you used to make your prior purchase(s). To use this card again, click the green Purchase with this card button. To enter new credit card information, fill in all the required data fields shown in that section and click the green Purchase with new card button. eCedent will then display a Receipt page, which confirms your purchase and can be printed for your records using the blue Print a Receipt option at the right-hand side of the screen. From the Receipt page, you can also click the green Go to the Certificate button in the lower right-hand corner.
I’ve created and paid for a new certificate; now what?
At the Certificate page, the decedent’s name will be displayed in the upper left-hand area of the screen. This page has two main sections, Certificate Status and Decedent Information, which provide you with access to assigning the physician and entering data about the decedent. (See below for details.)
How do I assign a physician?
On the decedent’s Certificate page, under Certificate Status, check to see if the case has been assigned to a physician. If the status reads “not assigned,” click the green Assign Physician button. The system takes you to a new screen. Once there you can select either from your own personal shortlist (physicians you have put into this list in the past) OR from a standardized list of all eCedent member physicians. You may choose the appropriate physician from your shortlist and click on the Assign to This Physician button. Or, you may search by last name for an eCedent member physician who does not appear on your shortlist. The system will display the search results and give you the opportunity to Assign to This Physician.
How do I add a new physician so his or her name will be available in my shortlist’s drop-down menu from now on?
eCedent “learns” as you work, allowing you to enter new physician names and saving you time in the future. If you need to assign a physician who does not appear in your shortlist, search by last name as described above. (The system will display the search results and give you the opportunity to Assign to This Physician.) Add this new physician to your shortlist by clicking the Add to shortlist function, located to the right. The name will instantly appear as a choice in your shortlist.
A physician in my shortlist is no longer needed; how do I remove the name?
Go to your shortlist and highlight the name you want to remove. Then click on Remove from Shortlist (on the far right of your screen). The name will instantly disappear from your shortlist. However, it will remain as a choice in the second drop-down menu, which contains all eCedent physician member names.
What happens after I assign a physician?
You will be returned to your Home page, where you can confirm that the case has been assigned to a physician by checking the Physician Certification column for a day and time notation. eCedent will instantly proceed with notifying the physician, via the method he or she has chosen, that this decedent’s certificate requires attention. When the physician has signed, you will be notified.
What if I need to reassign the case to another physician?
Open the record and follow the same procedure you used to assign the case the first time. (See “How do I assign a physician?”)
How do I add or change information about the decedent and disposition?
To enter or modify data, you must first put the screen in data entry mode. On the decedent’s certificate page, simply click the green Add/Edit Information button. You will be returned to the Edit Decedent screen. Make your changes/additions, and click the green Save Information button. Be sure to save, or your new data will be lost. Notice that some fields, like decedent race, and disposition date, are required; if you do not supply an answer, eCedent will remind you in red text.
How can I be sure my work is being saved?
In the Edit Decedent screen, be sure to click on the green Save Information button as you work, and/or when you’re done, or your data will be lost. Moving to another screen before clicking on Save Information will cause your data to be lost.
Oops -- I made a mistake and want to clear a screen and start over. How do I do that?
If you make errors and want to start over with all data entry for that screen, select Cancel Edits. This will cause all the data fields to return to whatever was in them before you began editing during this session.
How do I return to the previous screen?
At any time, you can navigate to the prior screen by using the “back” button on your Internet browser. (However, if you do so before clicking on Save Information, your data will be lost.)
How do I sign (and/or print) a death certificate?
As outlined earlier, to print a Completed (already signed) certificate, choose from the View Completed Certificates list at the bottom of your Home page, then use the green Print buttons on subsequent screens.
To print and sign Incomplete certificates: Please note that in order for the Sign and Print option to become available for any certificate, the case must first have been signed by the physician. To open the record, single-left-click on the decedent name from your Home page. In the main decedent data screen which will come up, choose the green Sign and Print Certificate button. Click the check box to indicate that decedent and disposition data are correct to the best of your knowledge. Enter your PIN, then click the green Sign and Create Certificate button. The death certificate will open in a viewing screen as a PDF (universally viewable) document. Follow the instructions on the screen to locate the signature area and apply your electronic signature. A new page will come up, telling you the signature was accepted, and you can now download and print. Select “Download PDF Document” (or, to abort printing, click “Return to My Certificates”). A PDF of the signed certificate will appear. Click the Print icon in the upper left corner to print; or, under File, select Print.
You can print a death certificate as many times as you like, as often as you like. There is no additional charge for doing so.
My question(s) was not addressed in this FAQ section! Where can I get help?
We apologize that our FAQ section did not resolve your question(s). We want to make your eCedent experience easy! Please contact one of our friendly technical support people via email at support@ecedent.com. Or call us toll-free at 1.866.472.0367. Again, we thank you for using eCedent!