A Death at a DFW Hospital: Every Guide in One Place

Every hospital in the metroplex follows the same broad sequence — pronouncement, family time, morgue holding, release to a funeral home — but the details differ building by building: where decedent affairs sits, how fast releases move, and how long our transfer team needs to reach you. We have written a dedicated guide for each hospital we serve most often. Start with the one you need; each walks the process step by step.

Guides by hospital, nearest first

All drive times are from our care center at 12101 Greenville Ave in North Dallas, in normal traffic.

• Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas — 8200 Walnut Hill Lane — the closest major hospital to our care center, about seven minutes north on Greenville Avenue. The hospital where we coordinate transfers most often.
• Medical City Dallas — Forest Lane at US-75, about ten minutes up Central Expressway. Our transfer team typically reaches the hospital 30–50 minutes after your call.
• Baylor University Medical Center — 3500 Gaston Ave — roughly 15–20 minutes south via US-75 and I-30. Typical arrival 45–75 minutes after the call.
• Methodist Dallas Medical Center — 1441 N Beckley Ave — a 20–25 minute drive via US-75, I-30, and I-35E. Typical arrival 50–90 minutes, depending on downtown traffic.
• Texas Health Frisco (Stonebriar corridor) — On Dallas Parkway just west of the Tollway — roughly 30–40 minutes north, so plan on a 60–90 minute transfer window.

If the death just happened: the first-24-hours guides

The hospital guides cover the building; these cover the day. Each walks the first 24 hours for its city — who pronounces, who to call and in what order, which county the paperwork files in, and what absolutely does not need to be decided today.

• The first 24 hours after a death in Dallas — The full step-by-step guide: hospital, hospice, home, and unexpected-death paths, with Dallas County Medical Examiner rules.
• The first 24 hours after a death in Plano — Plano is a Collin County matter — different medical examiner, different filing office. Transfers typically arrive within 35–50 minutes.
• The first 24 hours after a death in Richardson — Richardson sits minutes up US-75 from our care center; this guide covers its split between Dallas and Collin counties.

After the hospital: the paperwork

Once your loved one is in our care, the process becomes administrative — the death certificate, Social Security notification, and the estate. One guide covers it in the order it actually happens:

• Paperwork After a Death in Texas — Certified death certificates ($21 first copy, $4 each additional), the Social Security notification we file for you, and probate vs. the small-estate affidavit.

Which guide do I actually need?

If you are at the hospital now, open the guide for that hospital — it tells you what the staff will ask and what to say. If the death happened elsewhere, or you simply want the day mapped out, start with the first-24-hours guide for your city. If the transfer is already done and the folder of forms is what worries you, go straight to the paperwork guide. And if the hospital is not listed here, call us at (214) 550-7369 — the process is the same everywhere in DFW, and we coordinate with every hospital in the metroplex, not only the five profiled above.