Just re-read it. As anyone thought that Ichigo might be dead?
First of all, I think what Urahara meant when asking Ichigo's father: "Are you sure about this", meant: Are you sure you want your son to die? He's no fool, he know his son had been troubled by the loss of his power and an easy way to them back would be to finally become a true shinigami in death.
The simple fact that Urahara is present here is strange; as he found a way to make Ichigo a Shinigami as soon as he'd died?
Also, the last thing that bugged me is; he's been stabed in the heart repeatedly, taking him to the brink of deat. Could that be the reason why Ichigo's father said: "You should be able to see her now", meaning he just died and can now see Shinigamis (Rukia in this case).
This is just a feeling I had all along the chapter, I'm sure I'll be proven wrong in a second by something I missed or didn't know, but still, I wanted to post it
(IMO the story would be much more interesting if he did died and went back to learn all the basics of a shinigami Kidos, basic tech...etc).