9781422273470

entitled to receive autopsy reports, but when controversial or celebrity deaths are involved, the risk of releasing confidential information to the public rises. As one example, when the famous musician Prince died in Minnesota in 2016, information about his toxicology report was leaked to news media before his family or investigators were notified. Some of the information was incorrect, and the end result was harm to his death investigation and the ultimate conclusions of the medical examiner, as well as pain and suffering caused to his surviving family members. Medical examiners need to maintain confidentiality of medical records under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and must follow their state’s laws regarding how much information may be released to the public from their autopsy reports and when the information may be released. Career Opportunities Most forensic pathologists are government employees. They work for city, county, or state governments, and some medical examiners also may work for branches of the military, which is part of the federal government. For example, the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner is responsible for determining the cause and manner of death for all active duty military members who die while in active service. Medical examiners can also work as part of hospital or clinic systems, usually in teaching hospitals in major cities. In some areas, hospitals may offer forensic pathology services to their local government on a contract basis. Medical examiners can also work as consultants for attorneys or travel to other countries to consult in postmortem exams and criminal cases. Private autopsies are a rapidly growing specialty. If family members are not satisfied with the results of an autopsy conducted by their local coroner’s office, they can contract with a forensic pathologist for a private autopsy to learn additional information about their loved one’s cause and manner of death. Salaries for forensic pathologists can range from $150,000 per year up to $500,000 per year. Their services are in demand. There was a shortage of between 500 and 1,000 forensic pathologists in the United States as of 2020, probably because of the many years of education and training needed to become certified in the medico-legal specialty.

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Introduction: Uncovering How and Why a Person Died