Calling the coroner when hospice patients die?

[Blackcat99]

Do all the states require that a coroner be called when a hospice patient dies?

When I have a hospice patient die on night shift I have to call the coroner at 6am. I thought the reason a coroner is called is only if a "suspicious" death occurs? There's plenty of "suspicious"deaths in this town already. Why do I have to call and wake up the hard-working coroner for an "expected" death?

[CardioTrans, BSN, RN]

I live in Alabama, for most hospice deaths we do not call the coroner. There are some counties where the corner wants to be called. The last death we had this past week, the coroner happened to be the one on call for the funeral home that the pt had pre-arranged plans with. We dispose of all the drugs and notify the primary physician the next day. The RN pronounces the pt if a hospice pt. If its a home care pt, then the coroner or primary MD has to be notified at the time of death and they pronounce.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

In some states, there is a list of specific criteria to call the coroner. Any death that falls within those criteria must be reported to the coroner/medical examiner.

Just because a death is reported to the medical examiner/coroner, does not mean that a lengthy investigation is in the offing. It merely means that the ME/coroner will examine the basic facts and see whether a more thorough investigation is in order.

Say someone suffers major cardiac damage following use of an OTC med or auto accident. After several weeks of hospitalization, it is found that the damage is unresolvable and that the patient will soon die from it. The patient decides to go into hospice care and spends several monthes on hospice. That death would probably be reportable to the ME because of the initial cause of the debilitation.

In some places, if you find anyone (even 90 year olds) on the floor unconscious, and they die of a subdural hematoma/bleed later, the case is an ME case for determination of any fault/cause of the fall or bleed.

If one found a hospice patient dead on the floor, with blood around them, it may be reportable as the ME wants to know if the patient died of the terminal disease or fell/bled due to negligence, and lost their life earlier than nature intended due to negligence in care.

Many states require that any deceased that are to be cremated, buried at sea, or shipped out of state for disposition must be reported to ME, so that they may review the case before the "evidence (body)" is lost to investigation.

Many cases get reported to the ME/coroner, but very few actually merit any substantial investigation.

As a note, Terri Schiavo was a hospice case that did get reported to the ME - and because of the publicity, did get investigated.

And I believe Kimberly Bergalies (died of AIDs, infected during dental care) was an ME case. But Iam not positive on that one.