Question 1

PUBLIC HEALTH & EDUCATION

Accepted Answer

FMMS protects the health and safety of citizens its serves through the investigation of sudden and unexpected deaths and from deaths occurring in health care facilities.   FMMS performs substantially more autopsies than are performed in all the hospitals in the communities it serves.   On average, between one-third and one-half of all autopsies performed reveal natural causes of death rather than deaths due to physical or chemical injury. These findings are submitted to the appropriate federal, state and local agencies, which then use the data to determine how to best utilize limited public resources for the protection of the public.
FMMS provides information to the medical community through participation in hospital morbidity and mortality conferences, child death review boards and public health forums. FMMS goals are to heighten the early identification of communicable diseases and the prevention of child abuse and decrease preventable child deaths. FMMS pathologists actively participate in local and state multidisciplinary child fatality review teams. Additionally, when a death results from a defective consumer product, malfunctioning medical equipment or industrial accidents, we report these to the proper authorities to assist in making our communities safer.
All FMMS facilities are regional forensic centers and as such serves counties by providing continuing education in the field of forensic science to law enforcement, death investigators and district attorneys through seminars covering all aspects of forensic science.

Question 2

FORENSIC FACILITY MANAGEMENT

Accepted Answer

• Provide the services/operation of a medical forensic center
 • Provide a transition plan for assuming contracted responsibilities
 • Develop and maintain mass casualty and mass disaster plans
 • Provide expert consultation about morgue planning and new medical examiner facilities
 • Recruit and staff with forensic pathologists and support personnel – provide effective and efficient forensic pathology services by motivating a team of professionally skilled employees who consistently meet high quality standards
 • Provide training for autopsy technicians
 • Establish autopsy standards that fulfill the legal requirements of the facility/state/county/city
 • Set guidelines that fulfill the needs of the law enforcement agencies that interact with the facility
Forensic Medical is a professional company who provides effective and efficient medical examiner and forensic pathology services. Our company recognizes that recruitment and retention of high-quality personnel is critical to establishing a forensic medical practice that is above reproach, and has established a team management approach of professionals who consistently meet high quality standards in their quest to provide the services and operation of a forensic pathology service organization.
Our staff can provide a transition plan for assuming contracted responsibilities from a previous contractor. Through our experience we can provide expert consultation about morgue planning and construction of new medical examiner facilities. Our staff has been integral in the development of mass casualty and mass disaster plans and have been involved in both tabletop and hands-on disaster training.
Our staff has developed forensic investigation and autopsy standards that fulfill the legal requirements of state and county agencies and provided training in death investigation and autopsy technical services as well as set guidelines that fulfill the needs of the law enforcement agencies that interact with our facilities.

Question 3

FORENSIC AUTOPSIES

Accepted Answer

In Kansas, a medicolegal or forensic autopsy may be ordered by a county coroner or by the appropriate district attorney’s office. Coroners are appointed to the office and are responsible for the certification of cause and manner of death in cases of unusual, unexpected, or unnatural deaths, which include homicides, suicides, accidents, and deaths in otherwise healthy people. Many such cases may require an autopsy for accurate and complete determination of the cause of death.
Once the decision has been made to order an autopsy, the coroner then refers the decedent to a regional forensic center in which the autopsy will be performed by a board-certified forensic pathologist.
When the autopsy has been concluded, a death certificate will be completed by the forensic pathologist to accompany the body to the funeral home. Frequently, additional testing or information will need to be provided in order for a final determination of cause and manner of death to be made. In such circumstances, an initial death certificate reflecting the pending status of the case will be issued, followed by a delayed certification of death indicating the final results of the autopsy and death investigation. Performance of a forensic autopsy will not hinder or delay a funeral, including open-casket services.
After the autopsy and all ancillary testing have been concluded, a formal autopsy report will be issued. This process usually takes several weeks to complete. Copies of the report are provided without charge to the legal next-of-kin, treating physicians, law enforcement personnel, and district attorneys after an appropriate request has been received. Although the written autopsy report is considered a matter of public record, photographs taken during the autopsy and death scene investigation are not, and will not be released without an order issued by the court.

Question 4

PRIVATE & HOSPITAL AUTOPSIES

Accepted Answer

Private or family requested autopsies may be obtained for decedents who would not otherwise require autopsy by statute. Although families may request an autopsy for many reasons, some of the most common circumstances include:
 • To better understand the natural disease or disease process that caused death
 • To provide information about possible inherited or genetic diseases, allowing other family members to seek testing and/or treatment
 • To investigate possible medical treatment complications
 • To assist in civil proceedings regarding the death
Private autopsies may only be ordered by the legal next-of-kin or by other individual with the appropriate legal authority to do so. According to family request, the autopsy examination may include complete examination of all organ systems or may be limited to a specific area of concern.
A completed and signed authorization for autopsy with full payment must be received prior to the remains being transported to our facility for examination. Ancillary studies including toxicology and histology may be performed at the discretion of the consulting forensic pathologist. A final autopsy report typically takes several weeks to complete. All autopsies are performed by experienced forensic pathologists who are either board certified or board eligible by the American Board of Pathology.
Autopsy will not preclude viewing of decedent’s remains after preparation by a funeral director. In most circumstances, the autopsy procedure can be completed and the decedent released to the funeral home for final disposition within 24 hours.

Question 5

HOSPITAL AUTOPSIES

Accepted Answer

Family members and/or hospital staff may feel postmortem examination is necessary when a patient dies while in the care of a hospital or other medical facility. If the hospital does not offer autopsy services, or if the family desires the examination be performed by a third party, Forensic Medical provides professional autopsy services by experienced forensic pathologists.
Hospital ordered autopsies require the following:
Autopsy authorization signed by the legal next-of-kin, hospital administrator, and a witness.
The family’s desire regarding extent of the examination (limited to a specific anatomic area of interest or complete postmortem examination.)
The consulting forensic pathologist must have access to the decedent’s medical records in order to render accurate and fully informed opinions regarding the cause of death and any potential contributory factors.
The treating physician will typically contact the forensic pathologist before the autopsy with specific questions or concerns that he or the family would like addressed by the examination. The pathologist will provide a written preliminary report of the gross diagnoses within 48 hours after the autopsy. Forensic Medical abides by all Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization standards established for hospital autopsies.
The autopsy report, when complete, becomes part of the decedent’s medical record at the facility where the patient died, and the family may obtain a copy of the autopsy report from that facility or from the primary care provider. Forensic Medical Management Services, PLC typically does not provide a copy of the autopsy report directly to the family. The hospital, by signing the authorization for autopsy, accepts financial responsibility for the autopsy fee.
In general, the autopsy examination is completed within 24 hours after the body arrives where the examination is to occur. A complete autopsy does not preclude viewing of the decedent’s remains after preparation by a funeral director.

Question 6

EXPERT CONSULTATION TESTIMONY

Accepted Answer

• Exhumation autopsy
 • 2nd autopsy
 • Expert witness
Forensic Medical is staffed by physicians who are certified by the American Board of Pathology in both Anatomic and Forensic Pathology and who hold faculty appointments at large teaching hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to performing more than 6000 postmortem examinations each year, including medicolegal, private, and hospital-requested autopsies, the Medical Examiners of Forensic Medical Management Services, PLC also routinely provide expert medicolegal consultation services. These may concern a wide array of cases, including performing second autopsies and exhumation autopsies, evaluating non-lethal injuries, and reviewing medical records and autopsy reports prepared by other physicians.
Requests for expert witness consultation services may be accepted from other physicians, family members of the deceased, attorneys, insurance companies, and law enforcement agencies from across the country. Consultation services are tailored to each situation, and as such may range from making a simple explanatory phone call to offering complex expert witness testimony in both civil and criminal cases.
For more information, contact us at contact@forensicmed.com.

SERVICES

SERVING TOPEKA, KANSAS CITY & MISSOURI

CONTACT

FORENSIC MEDICAL OF KANSAS CITY & TOPEKA

KANSAS CITY OFFICE

2000 Merriam Lane
Kansas City, KS 66106
(913) 408-6950
(913) 912-1388
(913) 299-4931
contactus@forensicmedks.com

TOPEKA OFFICE

320 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 400
Topeka, KS 66603
785-251-2350

contacttopeka@forensicmedks.com

785-251-2380

785-251-2383

BUSINESS HOURS