Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 18, September 16, 2024
PURPOSE: State law mandates-an autopsy at state
expense on any infant who dies suddenly when in apparent good health, the use
of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as cause of death on death certificates when
autopsy results confirm this, prompt notification of autopsy results and
provision of information regarding Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to the
parent(s) or guardian(s). This rule provides procedures for meeting these
requirements.
(1) In the
event of the sudden and unexplained death of any infant one (1) week to one (1)
year of age-
(A) The coroner or medical
examiner shall advise the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the deceased infant that
an autopsy shall be performed at state expense for the purpose of confirming
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). For a SIDS autopsy, the coroner or medical
examiner shall notify the nearest child death pathologist who has been
certified by the Missouri Department of Health and shall arrange for an
autopsy. Pathologists certified by, and following the protocols of, the
Department of Social Services State Technical Assistance Team shall be deemed
certified by the Department of Health;
(B) The pathologist who performs this autopsy
shall report in writing the preliminary results to the coroner or medical
examiner who authorized the autopsy. The pathologist or coroner/medical
examiner shall comply with the reporting requirements of the State Technical
Assistance Team, Child Fatality Review Program;
(C) The certified child death pathologist
shall ensure that a tangible summary of the autopsy results is provided to the
parents or guardian of the child and shall provide informational material on
the subject of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to the family within one week after
the autopsy is performed. Performed is defined as the completion of the autopsy
including, but not limited to, laboratory results and any other testing, as
indicated. The certified child death pathologist shall, upon request by the
parents or guardian, release the full autopsy results to the parents, guardian,
or family physician in cases of suspected Sudden Infant Death Syndrome within
thirty (30) days of such request. The tangible summary and full autopsy report
shall be provided at no cost to the parents or guardian. The Department of
Health will develop a form letter which shall include a statement informing the
parents or guardians of the right to receive the full autopsy results in cases
of suspected Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and such letter shall be used by the
child death pathologist to communicate this information to the parents or
guardians. A copy of the child death pathologist's letter shall be sent to the
Department of Health, Bureau of Family Health. The Department of Health shall
provide the required informational material to be included with the form letter
to the child death pathologists at no charge;
(D) The Missouri Department of Health shall
pay for non-Medicaid SIDS autopsies at the same rate as that paid for SIDS
autopsies covered by Medicaid, The Missouri Department of Health shall pay for
transportation of the body to and from the nearest facility utilized by the
pathologist at the actual cost of said transportation up to but not to exceed a
maximum of one hundred fifty dollars ($150). Any additional fee charged by the
pathologist shall not be paid by the family; and
(E) The medical examiner or coroner shall
notify the medical certifier of the autopsy finding. The medical certifier, by
affidavit, shall authorize a correction on the death certificate within ten
(10) days of notification from the medical examiner or coroner.
(2) The Missouri Department of
Health, coroners and medical examiners, within their current limits of
confidentiality, without revealing the identity of the family of the autopsied
infant, may release to qualified investigators medical information gained from
autopsies to be utilized in scientific research.
*Original authority: 194.117, RSMo 1978, amended 1991,
1993, 1999.
