Coroner Gets More Money For More Autopsies Amend Says Suspicious, Unexpected Deaths Reason For Increase

There’s good news for doctors, police officers and pathologists who complained last year that Spokane County’s coroner doesn’t order enough autopsies.

Already this year, the office has paid for nearly as many autopsies as it did in 1995, Coroner Dexter Amend told county commissioners Thursday.

The bad news for taxpayers is that autopsies cost about $1,200 apiece. Commissioners agreed Thursday to give Amend an additional $90,000 to see him through the year.

Amend was criticized last year for not performing autopsies in some cases, despite requests to do so by police. He ordered autopsies in about 4 percent of all deaths, compared to about 10 percent of deaths in King County.

Amend blamed the increase this year on a rise in suspicious or unexpected deaths, rather than a policy change.

“I scrupulously work at trying to save the county from having to do autopsies when they’re not absolutely necessary,” he said.

Amend requested $96,000.

“Give him $90,000,” said Commissioner Phil Harris. “Then, at Christmas, if he needs a little more, he can come in and maybe we’ll give him a present.”

County Budget Director Marshall Farnell said he predicted earlier that coroner’s office spending would exceed its $340,000 budget this year. Farnell set aside $100,000, just in case.

Amend said he hopes to cover some of his costs by increasing the fee other counties pay to use the Spokane County morgue at Holy Family Hospital from $100 to $300 per autopsy.

Officials from several Washington and Idaho counties have opposed the proposed rate increase.

As coroner, Amend does not perform autopsies. Instead, he orders them to be performed by pathologists.

, DataTimes