2017 Arizona Revised Statutes
Title 36 - Public Health and Safety
§ 36-301 Definitions

36-301. Definitions

In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. " Administrative order" means a written decision issued by an administrative law judge or quasi-judicial entity.

2. " Amend" means to make a change, other than a correction, to a registered certificate by adding, deleting or substituting information on that certificate.

3. " Birth" or " live birth" means the complete expulsion or extraction of a product of human conception from its mother, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, that shows evidence of life, with or without a cut umbilical cord or an attached placenta, such as breathing, heartbeat, umbilical cord pulsation or definite voluntary muscle movement after expulsion or extraction of the product of human conception.

4. " Certificate" means a record that documents a birth or death.

5. " Certified copy" means a written reproduction of a registered certificate that a local registrar, a deputy local registrar or the state registrar has authenticated as a true and exact written reproduction of a registered certificate.

6. " Correction" means a change made to a registered certificate because of a typographical error, including misspelling and missing or transposed letters or numbers.

7. " Court order" means a written decision issued by:

(a) The superior court, an appellate court or the supreme court or an equivalent court in another state.

(b) A commissioner or judicial hearing officer of the superior court.

(c) A judge of a tribal court in this state.

8. " Current care" means that a health care provider has examined, treated or provided care for a person for a chronic or acute condition within eighteen months preceding that person's death. Current care does not include services provided in connection with a single event of emergency or urgent care. For the purposes of this paragraph, " treated" includes prescribing medication.

9. " Custody" means legal authority to act on behalf of a child.

10. " Department" means the department of health services.

11. " Electronic" means technology that has electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical or electromagnetic capabilities or technology with similar capabilities.

12. " Evidentiary document" means written information used to prove the fact for which it is presented.

13. " Family member" means:

(a) A person's spouse, natural or adopted offspring, father, mother, grandparent, grandchild to any degree, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or first or second cousin.

(b) The natural or adopted offspring, father, mother, grandparent, grandchild to any degree, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or first or second cousin of the person's spouse.

14. " Fetal death" means the cessation of life before the complete expulsion or extraction of a product of human conception from its mother that is evidenced by the absence of breathing, heartbeat, umbilical cord pulsation or definite voluntary muscle movement after expulsion or extraction.

15. " Final disposition" means the interment, cremation, removal from this state or other disposition of human remains.

16. " Foundling" means:

(a) A newborn infant left with a safe haven provider pursuant to section 13-3623.01.

(b) A child whose father and mother cannot be determined.

17. " Funeral establishment" has the same meaning prescribed in section 32-1301.

18. " Health care institution" has the same meaning prescribed in section 36-401.

19. " Health care provider" means:

(a) A physician licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 13 or 17.

(b) A doctor of naturopathic medicine licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 14.

(c) A midwife licensed pursuant to chapter 6, article 7 of this title.

(d) A nurse midwife certified pursuant to title 32, chapter 15.

(e) A nurse practitioner licensed and certified pursuant to title 32, chapter 15.

(f) A physician assistant licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 25.

(g) A health care provider who is licensed or certified by another state or jurisdiction of the United States and who works in a federal health care facility.

20. " Human remains" means a lifeless human body or parts of a human body that permit a reasonable inference that death occurred.

21. " Issue" means:

(a) To provide a copy of a registered certificate.

(b) An action taken by a court of competent jurisdiction, administrative law judge or quasi-judicial entity.

22. " Legal age" means a person who is at least eighteen years of age or who is emancipated by a court order.

23. " Medical certification of death" means the opinion of the health care provider who signs the certificate of probable or presumed cause of death that complies with rules adopted by the state registrar of vital records and that is based on any of the following that are reasonably available:

(a) Personal examination.

(b) Medical history.

(c) Medical records.

(d) Other reasonable forms of evidence.

24. " Medical examiner" means a medical examiner or alternate medical examiner as defined in section 11-591.

25. " Name" means a designation that identifies a person, including a first name, middle name, last name or suffix.

26. " Natural causes" means those causes that are due solely or nearly entirely to disease or the aging process.

27. " Presumptive death" means a determination by a court that a death has occurred or is presumed to have occurred but the human remains have not been located or recovered.

28. " Register" means to assign an official state number and to incorporate into the state registrar's official records.

29. " Responsible person" means a person listed in section 36-831.

30. " Seal" means to bar from access.

31. " Submit" means to present, physically or electronically, a certificate, evidentiary document or form provided for in this chapter to a local registrar, a deputy local registrar or the state registrar.

32. " System of public health statistics" means the processes and procedures for:

(a) Tabulating, analyzing and publishing public health information derived from vital records data and other sources authorized pursuant to section 36-125.05 or section 36-132, subsection A, paragraph 3.

(b) Performing other activities related to public health information.

33. " System of vital records" means the statewide processes and procedures for:

(a) Electronically or physically collecting, creating, registering, maintaining, copying and preserving vital records.

(b) Preparing and issuing certified and noncertified copies of vital records.

(c) Performing other activities related to vital records.

34. " Vital record" means a registered birth certificate or a registered death certificate.