Blog

Halcyon’s October Newsletter discusses our new envelope generating tool and new contract discount automations and options. We’ll be at the National Funeral Director’s Association Convention in New Orleans later this month! Read the newsletter here.

Subscribe to stay up to date!

Chain of Custody and the Illinois Integrity in Death Care Act 

On August 9, 2024, a new bill was passed in Illinois called the Integrity in Death Care Act. It amends the Funeral Directors and Embalmers Licensing Code, adding new requirements that could significantly impact our industry—especially if you don’t already have policies or procedures in place that comply. 

Among these requirements is a chain of custody paired with unique identifiers. The goal of these changes is to ensure that all human remains are treated with dignity and respect by tracking their journey to final disposition. 

In this article, we hope to clarify any questions you may have about the Integrity in Death Care Act, chain of custody and how to select an experienced and capable partner to provide you with the tools to comply by January 2025. 

What is the Integrity in Death Care Act? 

The Integrity in Death Care Act or IL SB2643 is an Illinois law introduced in November 2023 by Illinois Senator Doris Turner.  

Turner is quoted saying, “After months of discussions regarding the death care industry, it was clear the status quo wasn’t working. Families who lost loved ones experienced what no one ever thought was possible—receiving the wrong remains. It’s past time that we hold bad actors accountable.” 

The law received bipartisan support and was signed into law by Illinois governor J. B. Pritzker on August 9, 2024. It goes into full effect on January 1, 2025. 

What Changes Does the Integrity in Death Care Act Make? 

Funeral establishments and crematory authorities will be required to maintain detailed chain of custody records linked to a decedent’s unique identifier. 

The goal is to ensure that all remains are tracked with care and consistency, giving families peace of mind and preventing the inexcusable mishaps we’ve seen from the bad actors Turner mentions. 

If a complaint is lodged against a licensee, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is required to inspect the premises within 10 days of receiving the complaint. 

What is the Chain of Custody? 

“Chain of custody” is a term used across many industries. Essentially, it is the process of following a material through the entire supply chain—from beginning to end. Definitions like these can feel somewhat crude in our industry, where the situation is much more tender. 

In death care, the chain of custody is even more sensitive. It follows the decedent from the moment the funeral service provider collects the body through final disposition.  

The goal of a chain of custody is to prevent the misidentification or misplacement of human remains. 

How Should Funeral Professionals Handle These Changes? 

The Bill does not prescribe exactly how funeral professionals should implement the chain of custody and new unique identifiers. However, at Halcyon, we have two suggestions built on years of experience in the field doing this work. 

1. Choose an established, experienced partner. 

When industry disruptions occur, you’re likely to see opportunistic businesses crop up in response to these changes, especially if they provide similar services to other industries. 

When you select a partner, we strongly encourage you to choose a business that has experience with death care. Our industry has nuances and cultural standards that can’t be learned in a day. Select a partner that understands your business and your needs. 

2. Opt for QR-code tracking. 

Many barcode-based systems require costly scanning guns and other equipment to support them. QR-based tracking is much more robust, offering improved scannability, durability, security, and storage capacity. QR codes are overall easier to use and manage—and they can be used with a tablet or smartphone. 

Choose Halcyon Body Tracking Software 

In a constantly changing regulatory landscape, you need a partner that can support your growing needs and ensure you comply with ever-changing regulations. Halcyon’s body tracking software meets Illinois’ new requirements for chain of custody, ensuring you stay compliant without major headaches or unwieldy manual processes. 

Over the years, Halcyon has worked extensively to refine our body-tracking processes, delivering incredible efficiency to partners across the country. We’ve successfully used QR-driven body tracking since 2017—much longer than any other partner you could choose. That’s experience you can count on. 

Halcyon is more than a chain of custody tracking service. We’re the company that can bring all your services and management needs together in one place. Imagine us as the hub for all your business needs—connecting, supporting and integrating all the tools you use. 

Our comprehensive onboarding process makes getting started seamless. For most businesses, you can be set up and ready to go in less than 48 hours. And our in-house customer service team is there throughout the process for onboarding and ongoing training. 

Don’t wait until January to get started. Schedule a demo today to see why Halcyon is the partner you need to support you through the Integrity in Death Care Act and beyond. 

This month we talk about custom forms, an upcoming change to Illinois laws around body tracking in death care, as well as conferences we will be attending this month. Here’s where you can find more details.

Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date!

Our August 2024 newsletter announces the Halcyon android google play application, and details how to expand the timeframe shown in the cases menu. Read the newsletter here.

Join our newsletter here.

Halcyon’s July 2024 Newsletter discusses how a general (non-admin) user can unlock their password. Additionally we cover the power of custom case statuses. We’ll also be at the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association annual convention in Maryland August 3rd – 7th.

Read the newsletter here. Sign up for our newsletter and announcements here.

In Halcyon’s June newsletter we cover two crucial “Did You Know?” features: electronic whiteboard and adding photos to a case. We also announced an upcoming feature for our pet cremation customers called direct pet. To learn more, read June’s newsletter here.

Sign up for future newsletter announcements here!

These days it seems like more and more frequently we are hearing negative news about deathcare. At the beginning of the year, news broke of a Colorado Funeral Home abandoning hundreds of bodies in a building. In 2023 Harvard Medical School, which is currently the #1 Best Medical School for Research (ranked by U.S. News), was in the headlines when a man was charged with the theft and sale of human body parts from the medical school’s morgue. At a University with a reputation as prestigious as theirs, you would think an oversight this horrific wouldn’t get so far. It goes to show that there are inspection and regulation concerns that extend to all areas of deathcare. 
There is an easy solution for funeral homes, crematories, and businesses that handle any aspect of body management – Halcyon. With Halcyon’s body tracking tool, staff utilize QR codes to track the movement of bodies under your care. At any point for any given decedent, Halcyon can generate a Cremation Tracking Report to provide verified details of any movement. The report includes details like the gps coordinates, the time, and the operator that facilitate the move. Implementing Halcyon’s state of the art body tracking tool with your deathcare business practices will give you and your families more confidence and peace of mind.

Sources:

NPR https://www.npr.org/2024/01/12/1224371053/colorado-funeral-home-bodies-maggots-fluids 

Caitlin Doughty “Harvard’s in Trouble for Stealing Body Parts” https://youtu.be/bZbl2t4hATc?si=MIEotHiqFphR9UKs

NBC Boston https://www.nbcboston.com/investigations/harvards-morgue-scandal-is-part-of-a-much-larger-story-in-trading-human-remains/3136374/

May’s newsletter covered the sunsetting of Bass-Mollett’s Director’s Print Suite and how to switch to Messenger’s Make It Personal. We also covered best support ticket practices for the fastest and most accurate response and highlighted our new website design.

Read the May newsletter.

Join our newsletter.

This month’s newsletter contains details an announcement regarding Halcyon and our exciting future. Additionally, we expect to launch our new website design soon. You can expect to see us at the Ohio Funeral Director Association’s Convention & Expo on April 23rd, 24th and 25th!

Follow this link to read the April 2024 newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Learn about our new Artificial Intelligence tools in this month’s newsletter. The first is an AI charitable organization suggestion tool, and the second an AI obituary writer tool. We also highlight the power behind Halcyon’s magnifying glass icon. 

Get to the March 2024 Newsletter here and/or subscribe here.

February 26, 2024 – Halcyon Deathcare Management Solutions, a leading provider of cutting-edge technology solutions for the deathcare profession, is proud to announce the launch of two new artificial intelligence (AI) features.  

The first innovative feature uses advanced artificial intelligence algorithms to suggest reputable charitable organizations. Families often have an idea of what type of donation they would like to make on behalf of their loved one but they may not have a specific charity in mind.  Halcyon’s charitable organization suggestion tool can seamlessly discover and recommend reputable charities that align with the family’s passion and beliefs. Simply enter the family’s interest(s) and optionally a geographic area and a list of several matching charitable organizations and a brief description of each will be quickly returned. Deathcare providers can empower families to honor their loved ones’ legacies through meaningful charitable contributions.

The second feature is the addition of an artificial intelligence (AI) obituary writer to Halcyon’s existing obituary creation options. This new tool streamlines the process of creating obituaries and delivers personalized, heartfelt tributes with unmatched efficiency. Creating meaningful and respectful obituaries can be a daunting task. Recognizing this challenge, Halcyon has leveraged the power of AI technology to create an intuitive platform designed to assist in composing eloquent and dignified obituaries.

When using the artificial intelligence obituary feature existing decedent information is conveniently pre-filled onto a screen.  The information can be submitted to the obituary writer as-is or modifications and additions may be made prior to submitting the information for draft creation.  There is also the ability to modify the tone of the generated draft on a scale from conservative to creative. Once a draft has been saved it can be sent to the family for review, submitted to publishers, and/or posted directly from Halcyon to your public-facing website. 

“At Halcyon, we are dedicated to innovation and I’m excited about these two latest features”, said Sara Gard, President of Halcyon.  “We have seen a lot of technologies evolve in our 23 years of experience and I am proud that we are continuously improving Halcyon whenever we see a way to benefit our customers”. 

Halcyon’s February 2024 talks about the Pre-Need to At-Need change. We also discuss the helpfulness behind the breadcrumb trails that follow you in Halcyon. Come see us at the South Carolina Mid-Winter Convention and Expo February 6th & 7th!

February 2024 Newsletter link. Please sign up to join our monthly newsletter!