Nevada Code § 440.415

1. A physician who anticipates the death
of a patient because of an illness, infirmity or disease may authorize a
specific registered nurse or physician assistant or the registered nurses or
physician assistants employed by a medical facility or program for hospice care
to make a pronouncement of death if they attend the death of the patient. An
advanced practice registered nurse who anticipates the death of a patient because
of an illness, infirmity or disease may authorize a specific registered nurse
or the registered nurses employed by a medical facility or program for hospice
care to make a pronouncement of death if they attend the death of the patient.
2. Such an authorization is valid for 120
days. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, the authorization must:
(a) Be a written order entered on the chart of
the patient;
(b) State the name of the registered nurse or
nurses or physician assistant or assistants authorized to make the
pronouncement of death; and
(c) Be signed and dated by the physician or
advanced practice registered nurse.
3. If the patient is in a medical facility
or under the care of a program for hospice care, the physician may authorize
the registered nurses or physician assistants employed by the facility or
program, or an advanced practice registered nurse may authorize such a
registered nurse, to make pronouncements of death without specifying the name
of each nurse or physician assistant, as applicable.
4. If a pronouncement of death is made by
a registered nurse or physician assistant, the physician or advanced practice
registered nurse who authorized that action shall sign the medical certificate
of death within 24 hours after being presented with the certificate.
5. If a patient in a medical facility is
pronounced dead by a registered nurse or physician assistant employed by the
facility, the registered nurse or physician assistant may release the body of
the patient to a licensed funeral director pending the completion of the
medical certificate of death by the attending physician or attending advanced
practice registered nurse if the physician, advanced practice registered nurse or
the medical director or chief of the medical staff of the facility has
authorized the release in writing.
6. The Board may adopt regulations
concerning the authorization of a registered nurse or physician assistant to
make pronouncements of death.
7. As used in this section:
(a) Advanced practice registered nurse means a
registered nurse who holds a valid license as an advanced practice registered
nurse issued by the State Board of Nursing pursuant to NRS 632.237 .
(b) Medical facility means:
(1) A facility for skilled nursing as
defined in NRS 449.0039 ;
(2) A facility for hospice care as defined
in NRS 449.0033 ;
(3) A hospital as defined in NRS 449.012 ;
(4) An agency to provide nursing in the
home as defined in NRS 449.0015 ; or
(5) A facility for intermediate care as
defined in NRS 449.0038 .
(c) Physician assistant means a person who
holds a license as a physician assistant pursuant to chapter 630 or 633 of NRS.
(d) Program for hospice care means a program
for hospice care licensed pursuant to chapter 449 of NRS.
(e) Pronouncement of death means a declaration
of the time and date when the cessation of the cardiovascular and respiratory
functions of a patient occurs as recorded in the patients medical record by
the attending provider of health care in accordance with the provisions of this
chapter.

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