What is the difference between a medical examiner autopsy and a hospital autopsy?
Medical examiner autopsies are governed by state law and assist the medical examiner in determining cause and manner of death. Permission of the next-of-kin is not required. In contrast, hospital autopsies can only be conducted with the permission of the next-of-kin and assist the medical staff with quality assurance and training. The actual autopsy procedures are similar in nature and scope, but not identical.