Here are the alternative death and dying rules that wizards had suggested on their web site. I found that they added a lot of excitement to the game without over complicating it. It would make a great "alternative rule".
From the dnd site :
1) At 0 hp or less, you fall unconscious and are dying.
Any damage dealt to a dying character is applied normally, and might
kill him if it reduces his hit points far enough (see #2).
2) Characters die when their negative hit point total reaches -10 or
one-quarter of their full normal hit points, whichever is a larger value. If it feels too small, increase it
to one-third full normal hit points and try again.
3) If you're dying at the end of your turn, roll 1d20.
Lower than 10: You get worse. If you get this result three times
before you are healed or stabilized (as per the Heal skill), you die.
10-19: No change.
20: You get better! You wake up with hit points equal to one-quarter
your full normal hit points.
4) If a character with negative hit points receives healing, he
returns to 0 hp before any healing is applied.
In other words, he'll wake up again with hit points equal to the
healing provided by the effect—a cure light wounds spell for 7 hp will
bring any dying character back to 7 hp, no matter what his negative
hit point total had reached.)
5) A dying character who's been stabilized (via the Heal skill)
doesn't roll a d20 at the end of his turn unless he takes more damage.
