Without Autopsies, Hospitals Bury Their Mistakes ProPublica Dec. 2011
A few highlights from the excellent article
Average number of autopsies in US (on patients who have been in hospital at least one day)
- Mid 20th century: half
- 2011: 5%
- Teaching hospitals: 20%
- Private and community hospitals 2011: close to zero %
Reasons
- Insurers don’t pay for autopsies . (An autopsy costs about $1,275)
- Medicare does not pay for autopsies
- Some fear autopsies may reveal malpractice. (diagnostic/procedural errors)
I would not mind a decrease in autopsies, but a 2002 review of autopsies uncovered “major errors” in 1 out of every 4 autopsies
Autopsy rate in England is apparently still about 20% - the UK has not ignored their laws the way the US has.