State health officials say they have brought down wait times for technical assistance and corrected other issues associated with the rollout of the new TxEVER system for registering death and birth certificates.
Since TxEVER launched Jan. 1, Texas physicians have reported multiple problems, including long telephone wait times and difficulties getting new PINs.
Last month, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) acknowledged several problems, including hold times averaging 30 to 35 minutes, busy signals, and more than 24 hours’ response times for emails.
On Monday, DSHS officials told the Texas Medical Association that they significantly reduced wait times by shifting staff from other departments to handle customer service phone lines.
TxEVER replaced the Texas Electronic Register, which required physicians to fill out an electronic death certificate within five days of receiving it or face Texas Medical Board (TMB) penalties.
TxEVER is designed to support all vital events operations, including reporting, registration, and amendments of births and deaths, health officials said.
Last month, TMB President Sherif Zaafran, MD, told TMA the agency is aware that changes could affect physician timeliness.
“At the last board meeting, we gave direction to board staff that if any physician has been unable to enter information into the registry because of any kind of technical error, and they’re able to show us that, the board will not take any action against any of the licensees who have especially tried to do it in good faith,” Dr. Zaafran said.
The DSHS website lists some of the problems physicians still could face, with instructions on how to address them.
To prepare potential users to use the new system, DSHS has been holding conference calls and online webinars. Check the DSHS website for a schedule of conference calls and webinars.
If you want more information on TxEVER webinars and how to register, contact DSHS’ Help Desk at (888) 963-7111 between 8 am and 4 pm Monday through Friday; or after hours, submit a TxEVER Help Desk Form online.
The TMA Knowledge Center is also available to help members who have been unsuccessful in resolving TxEVER issues. Please contact us at (800) 880-7955 for assistance.