cont. “Senior Moment” Segment – August 11, 2018

10:00 – 11:00 AM

Hour 2 Seg 2 – cont. “Senior Moment” Segment

FAMILY HOSPICE CARE w/ Dr. Howard Cohen re: Discussion of autopsy and how Family Hospice Care is involved in that process.
– Hospice deaths, as all deaths, are usually reported to the coroner but may differ in different counties..
– Only Physicians can sign a death certificate except when the death is not considered a “natural” death such as during violence, an accident, an unusual death, or unknown cause of death. In those cases, the coroner will make the determination of cause and sign the death certificate. An autopsy is often required to be a part of the Coroner’s determination of cause of death.
– If you are a hospice patient and decide to go to the hospital and are admitted and end up passing away in the hospital, then the hospital physician (or emergency physician) would be asked to sign the death certificate. If they are unwilling and the hospice physician does not have the medical records to determine the cause of death, then the coroner would take over and make the determination of the cause of death and sign the death certificate. An autopsy may be required in some of these cases as well.
www.familyhospicecare.com
(760) 674-3344)

Howie