Health Research & Educational Trust of New Jersey (HRET)
Research
Completed Projects
Electronic Birth Certificate
New Jersey Electronic Birth Certificate SystemThanks to collaboration between HRET and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), hospitals across the state can now transfer birth records electronically. The two organizations partnered with Genesis Systems, Inc. to create the Electronic Birth Certificate (EBC), an integrated, statewide perinatal database that is much more than just a birth certificate. Hospitals can now efficiently collect and forward birth certificate data, newborn hearing screening information, and certificates of parentage to the DHSS electronically; unmarried parents can acknowledge paternity; and parents can request a social security number for their newborn infant. Hospitals use this data to create reports for their own quality assurance and follow up activities.
After the system was initiated, HRET provided training and technical assistance to hospitals, mainly through maternal and child health consortia, from 1997 to 2003. Any agency needing further assistance should contact Kay Knoblauch at the DHSS via phone, 609-292-7215, or e-mail,
Kay.Knoblauch@doh.state.nj.us.