HUMAN
ERROR
COMPUTER
ERROR
WE ALL MAKE MITSAKES
Why the details are important!
Birth Certificates
 Many uses
 Adding baby to insurance coverage
 Applying for passport
 Enrolling in school
 Applying for drivers license
 Identity theft
Birth Registrar Survey
Fields corrected most often:
 Baby’s name
 Parent name
 Parent date of birth
 Parent place of birth
Birth registrars reported concern about
 Mother’s Medical Information I and where to get the
information
Correction or Amendment?
 There is a difference!
 2013 Minnesota Statutes
 Department of Health

Vital Records
Statutory Language
"Amendment" means completion or correction
made to certification items on a vital record
after a certification has been issued or
more than one year after the event,
whichever occurs first,
that does not result in a sealed or replaced record.
Statutory Language
“Correction” means a change made to a
noncertification item, including information
collected for medical and statistical purposes.
A correction also means a change to a
certification item within one year of the event
provided that no certification, whether paper or
electronic, has been issued.
In Plain English?
AMENDMENT
Change to item(s) that print on the certificate
o after a certificate has been issued, or
o more than one year after the birth
o whichever occurs first
Application, supporting documentation and $40 fee required
CERTIFICATE OF BIRTH
FULL NAME
DATE OF BIRTH
TIME
PLURALITY
SEX
PLACE OF BIRTH
PARENT
NAME AT BIRTH
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
PARENT
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
STATE FILE NUMBER: 2013-MN-000098
BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP
DECEMBER 16, 2013
02:59 24 HOUR
SINGLE (1)
MALE
ST. ELSEWHERE
CITY
COUNTY
MINNESOTA
EWE SHEEP
EWE LAMB
MAY 31, 1987
SHEPARD, MINNESOTA
RAM SHEEP
APRIL 15, 1986
OXLIP, MINNESOTA
In Plain English?
CORRECTION
A change to an item that is printed on the certificate
 before a certificate has been issued
 up until the child’s first birthday
 whichever happens first
Also a change to an item that does not print on the
certificate
 race, parent education, information collected for
medical and statistical purposes
Warning - Warning!
 Birth certificates are available for issuance
immediately after the birth record is filed
 If a certificate has been issued, any changes to the
record, including minor spelling changes require
an application, supporting documentation, a $40
amendment fee, and the cost of a new certificate
 Newborns have not lived long enough to
accumulate the required supporting
documentation
Mistake-proofing
 Print the Parent Verification Form
 Verify birth facts before the mother and
child leave the hospital
 Finalize/file the birth record after parent
approval
 Parent
Notice will be mailed from county
Parent Notices
 Parent Notices direct parents to contact the
hospital to request corrections
 Corrections can be made at the local county
issuance office
Correction at Hospital
 Confirm the requestor’s identity
 Carefully identify and review the medical record
 Verify that the new information is accurate
 Log into MR&C
 Make the correction(s); click on Continue
 Then go straight to the finalize filing page
 Confirm the corrections
 File the corrections
Corrections Cautions
Do not change
 Any data to something other than what appears in the
medical record
 Marital status of the parents
If a Recognition of Parentage (ROP) has been filed, do not
change the last name of the baby
Don’t add a dad to the record via the correction process.
Records Unavailable For
Correction
If Correct Birth Record isn’t an option in the dropdown menu, it’s because:
 A certificate has already been issued
 One year has elapsed since the birth
Record has to be amended (application, supporting documentation,
amendment fee and new birth certificate fee required)
 ROP is pending
 Record has been replaced
Hospital Statement Form
Hospital statement is used
 When the hospital made a mistake that is discovered
after a certificate has been issued
 In lieu of providing copies of medical records to OVR
 NEVER give the Hospital Statement Form to parents
In Closing…
 Understand the difference between ‘correction’ and
‘amendment’
 Costs
 Parent satisfaction
 Prevent corrections
 Know when and how to correct
 Know when an amendment is required
Resources
 Registration Support
651-201-5961
health.birthreg@state.mn.us
 Field Services Staff
Sally Almond – 651-201-5973 or sally.almond@state.mn.us
Krista Bauer – 651-201-5937 or krista.bauer@state.mn.us
Kirsti Taipale – 651-201-4832 or kirsti.taipale@state.mn.us
 Birth and Fetal Death Registration Information for Hospital Staff
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/osr/birthreg/index.html
Thank you!
Questions?