Autopsy and Related Service Costs and Fees

 Home / Costs & Fees

Costs and Fees

Single Organ
$1,500 / plus travel
  • Organ procurement
  • Digital photography
  • Preservation
  • Transportation
  • General review
  • Microscopic review
  • Any testing at extra charge
  • Report of findings
Limited Autopsy
$2,500-4,000 / plus travel
  • Partial autopsy
  • Digital photography
  • Procurement of specimens
  • Preservation & Storage
  • General review
  • Microscopic review
  • Any testing at extra charge
  • Report of findings
General Autopsy
$4,500 / plus travel
  • Complete autopsy
  • Digital photography
  • Procurement of specimens
  • Preservation & Storage
  • General review
  • Microscopic review
  • Any testing at extra charge
  • Report of findings
Exhumation Autopsy
$6,500 / plus travel
  • Excludes exhumation
  • Digital photography
  • Procurement of specimens
  • Preservation & Storage
  • General review
  • Microscopic review
  • Any testing at extra charge
  • Report of findings

Professional Fees

Travel
$100 / per hour
  • Add $50/hr for assitant*
  • *-e.g. overweight or badly
  •   decomposed bodies
  • Two-way trip
Evaluations
$450 / per hour
  • Medical Records Review
  • Microscopic (Slide) Evaluations
  • Feasibility of Lawsuit
  • Test Results Review
Legal
$500 / per hour
  • Depositions
  • Trial Testimony
  • Expert Witness
  • Other Medicolegal

Who Pays for Autopsies

Hospitals & MCOs

  • There is no direct funding from the government to hospitals for conducting autopsies and post-mortem evaluations. Few health plans will reimburse hospitals for post-mortem procedures. As a result, hospital pathologists do not have sufficient experience and do not like to do autopsies. Some hospitals prefer to hire LabFlorida PAG to do the work. Less than 10% of our cases are paid for by hospitals.

  • Managed care organizations consider the autopsy to be built into their hospital contracts. However, these organizations will reimburse for autopsies only if and when they are convinced of their value, e.g. to obtain evidence that may protect MCOs and hospitals from malpractice lawsuits.

Law Firms

  • If you have a good medicolegal evaluation, you may be able to get your attorney to finance the cost of litigation.

  • Law firms will need to have a solid, "winnable" suit. Lawyers don't like to risk. They need evidence, and they can't win a case for you without an autopsy report and expert witnesses. Discuss your case with good malpractice / wrongful death attorneys to see if they would take it on a contingency basis and pay for the upfront expenses, including autopsy costs.

  • In our experience, law firms take 1 out of 5 wrongful death cases they review. Families can greatly increase their chances if they pay for the autopsy report themselves.

Families

  • In about 80% of our autopsies families have to absorb the cost.

  • Private autopsy requires expertise, sophisticated surgical tools, testing instruments, expensive lab work, review of medical records (often thousands of pages), communications with various parties involved, and final report preparation. This is not an easy job, and a lot of work goes into each autopsy report.

  • We take pride in what we do. Our service is in demand but we compassionately work with every family trying to make this valuable service affordable.

  • Contact LabFlorida PAG now for a free telephone consultation.

How to Pay

We collect payment prior to the performance of the autopsy. We accept cashier's checks, money orders and all major credit cards.