An Act Relating to Medical Examinations

AS PASSED BY SENATES.125

1999Page 1

S.125

AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS

It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:

Sec. 1. 18 V.S.A. § 508 is amended to read:

§ 508. MEDICAL EXAMINERS, APPOINTMENT; TERM

(a) The chief medical examiner shallmay appoint regional medical examiners, who shall be licensed doctors of medicine or osteopathy geographically distributed throughout the state. A regional medical examiner may be licensed in Vermont or in another state. The regional medical examiners shall serve indefinite terms at the pleasure of the chief medical examiner.

(b) The chief medical examiner may appoint assistant medical examiners to assist in performing the duties of the medical examiner. An assistant medical examiner shall be an individual with extensive experience in the medical profession which may include medicine, nursing, emergency medical work, or any other medical profession deemed by the chief medical examiner to provide sufficient health care experience, including an individual licensed in a medical profession in another state. An assistant medical examiner shall serve at the pleasure of and be under the direction and supervision of the chief medical examiner. The chief medical examiner may assign assistant medical examiners to work under the supervision of a regional medical examiner. An assistant medical examiner shall not perform autopsies except within their defined scope of practice.

(c) An assistant medical examiner shall meet the training and certification requirements established by the chief medical examiner and approved by the commissioner.

Sec. 2. 18 V.S.A. § 509 is amended to read:

§ 509. AUTOPSY; PAYMENT; FEES

For performing an autopsy, the chief medical examiner and his or her assistants are entitled to their expenses from the state upon giving the commissioner of finance and management their certified voucher. Regional medical examiners and assistant medical examiners are entitled to receive from the state a fee fixed by the commissioner of the department of health and approved by the attorney general, plus their reasonable and necessary expenses.

Sec. 3. 18 V.S.A. § 5201(b) is amended to read:

(b) The person in charge of the body shall not release for cremation the body of a person who died in Vermont until hethe person has received a certificate from a Vermontthe chief, regional or assistant medical examiner that hethe medical examiner has made personal inquiry into the cause and manner of death and is satisfied that no further examination or judicial inquiry concerning it is necessary. The certificate shall be retained by the person in charge of the body for a period of three years. For the certificate, the medical examiner is entitled to a fee of $10.00 payablereasonable fee in an amount set by rule by the commissioner to be paid by the person requesting cremation.

VT LEG 112230.1