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Hospice program deaths

A. An apparent natural death at home involving a Hospice program patient is a medically attended death and does not need to be reported to the Medical Examiner's Office prior to removal. 

  • "(9) The death of a person enrolled as a hospice patient shall be considered an attended death for the purposes of s. 406.11(1)(a)5. However, a hospice shall report the death to the medical examiner if any unusual or unexpected circumstances are present." (s. 400.6095, Florida Statutes)

B. Hospice staffs have been instructed that if the death appears to be among the 12 types of deaths that come under the medical examiner jurisdiction, the Medical Examiner's Office must be notified. Otherwise, they need only call the funeral home. 
C. Hospice program does not include home health care nursing programs, per se. 

  • "The death of a person under the care of a home health agency other than a licensed "hospice" without an attending physician would be an "unattended" death requiring notification of the district medical examiner." (Emphasis added, AGO 94-103) 
  • However, if the home health agency’s patient does have an attending physician, Section VI applies. 
  • At home deaths also may involve a completed attending physician's statement as part of a person's pre-arrangements with a funeral home. (This is not limited to the hospice situation described above.) Such a statement indicates a willingness by the physician to sign a death certificate should death appear to be the logical result of the illness or condition for which the patient was being treated. 

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Volusia County, Florida.