Designated Pathologist Review Committee

Designated Pathologist Review Committee 1. The purpose of the Committee is to assist the State Medical Examiner’s Office in the selection and supervision of qualified Designated Pathologists and to develop and maintain a Quality Assurance – Enhancement Program concerning the activities of those Designated Pathologists. The Quality Assurance – Enhancement Program will involve review and selected examples of postmortem examinations, and other documents so as to recommend selection, retention, probation or dismissal of pathologists from the designated list. 2. Membership – The membership of the Committee shall consist of the Mississippi State Medical Examiner, the President of the Mississippi Association of Pathologists, or his designee and the President of the Mississippi State Medical Association or his designee. The State Medical Examiner shall act as Chairman of the Committee. 3. Meetings – The meetings of the committee shall be held at least on an annual basis at the time of the Mississippi State Medical Association’s annual meeting. Additional special meetings may be called by the Chairman of the Committee and such special meetings may be conducted by telephone conference or other means. 4. Administrative Support – Administrative support for the committee, including secretarial support and maintenance of records, will be provided by the State Medical Examiner’s Office. 5. Records – The State Medical Examiner’s Office will maintain records of the Committee including a file for each Designated Pathologist, that file to include a Curriculum Vitae as well as records of recommendations or actions of the Committee. Also include in each file will be representative examples of postmortem examination reports and other pertinent data. These files will be confidential and access to the files will be limited to the Commissioner of Public Safety, the three members of the committee and the individual Pathologist involved. Except as otherwise provided in this section, these files are not public records as defined and addressed by the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983 and access to such may only be had as provided in this Section. 6. Annual Report – A general summary report from the Committee will be prepared on an annual basis and submitted to the Department of Public Safety. A copy of this report may be made available on request to any interested party. Source: Miss. Code Ann. §41-61-51, et seq. Part 401 Chapter 13 Appeals of Death Ruling Rule 13.1 Appeals of Death Ruling Miss. Code Ann. §41-61-65 provide that family members or others who disagree with a Medical Examiner’s determination as to cause and manner of death shall be able to petition and present written argument to the State Medical Examiner for further review. If the petitioner still disagrees, they may petition the Circuit Court which may, in its discretion, hold a formal hearing. All costs of the petitioning and hearing shall be borne by the petitioner. The procedure for petitioning the State Medical Examiner’s Office for purposes of appealing a death ruling shall be as follows: 1. Upon receipt of a petition regarding disagreement with any county medical examiner’s/investigator’s ruling, the State Medical Examiner will immediately contact the county medical examiner/investigator in question and discuss the case. County medical examiners/investigators themselves may contact the State Medical Examiner if they know that such a petition is going to be submitted. County medical examiners/investigators should submit any additional documentation, photographs, or other material as may be deemed necessary, in order to adequately review the case. 2. The State Medical Examiner will conduct an investigation and review of the case which, in his/her discretion, may involve consultation with Forensic Laboratory personnel, Attorneys, Firearm experts, Anthropologists, and other individuals or agencies who might be able to provide helpful analysis and information. 3. Upon completion of his/her investigation and review, the State Medical Examiner will submit a detailed conclusion in writing with copies both to the county medical examiner/investigator in whose jurisdiction the death occurred and to the petitioner. If a change in the Death Certificate is deemed warranted by the State Medical Examiner, on the basis of his investigation, such change will not be submitted to the State Board of Health for a period of no less than thirty (30) days, during which all parties involved will have an opportunity to submit additional information or points for discussion.