AUTOPSY & MEDICAL RESEARCH SERVICES
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the process and procedure for obtaining an autopsy?
A: Dr. Feczko or his assistant, Sean Fitzpatrick, will discuss this individually with each family. There will be two emails, one with an autopsy permit and medical history form to be filled-out, signed, and returned before the autopsy. The other email will be a payment link with Quickbooks for credit card payment. After this is completed electronically, we work with the funeral home to have your loved one transferred to my facility at NW health-Porter located in NW Indiana. The autopsy is typically performed within 1-2 days and your loved one is transferred back to the funeral home soon after the autopsy is complete. The family will receive a preliminary autopsy report in 24-48 hours, and a final report typically in 2-4 weeks.
Q: What is the cost of an autopsy?
A: It varies from $3000-$5000, which includes a professional preliminary and final autopsy report, discussion with one of the pathologists, and all transfer fees. Toxicology is an additional charge of $750, which is sent to NMS Labs in Pennsylvania. Reviewing medical records is an additional fee.
Q: How long does an autopsy take?
A: Typically 2-3 hours, taking great care and respect for your loved one.
Q: Who is actually performing the autopsy?
A: All autopsies with Pathologix LLC are directly performed by a forensic pathologist.
Q: What do you actually retain or keep after an autopsy?
A: Typically, small tissue samples from representative organs and when necessary, medical devices for possible litigation cases.
Q: Can you perform an autopsy after they have been embalmed?
A: Yes, the only limitations are toxicology and cultures.
Q: Do you review medical records?
A: Our team can provide you an expert opine after reviewing the medical records provided by the family. The fee is $750/hour, and the average time is approximately 2-4 hours.
Q: How long can an autopsy be performed after a loved one passes?
A: The sooner the better, however if your loved one is kept in a cooler environment after passing, then up to 1-2 weeks.
Q: Do you provide testimony in court?
A: Dr. Wang and Dr. Feczko have performed over 15,000 autopsies and have been in litagation in over 1000 occurrences.
Q: Do you perform autopsies on COVID-19 positive decedents?
A: Yes, Dr.’s Wang and I have performed over 300 COVID-19 autopsies.
Q: Do you remove brain’s for research/diagnosis?
A: Yes, our team assists various universities with brain harvesting which has very specific time and temperature protocols.