STORY: Shortage of Forensic Pathologists Delays Autopsies; Nation faces scant supply of medical examiners, particularly in rural areas," by Zusha Elinson, published by the Wall Street Journal on October 12, 2015.
PHOTO CAPTION: Walter Kemp resigned as Montana state medical examiner in July. For a time, the state had no one to conduct autopsies.
"There are about 500 practicing board-certified forensic pathologists in the U.S., less than half the amount needed, based on the number of autopsies that have to be done, according to the National Commission on Forensic Science. The longstanding problem has persisted as the number of new professionals barely keeps pace with retirements...Training programs for forensic pathologists are undersubscribed, and the number getting board-certified each year has remained roughly between 20 and 40 over the last 10 years, according to the American Board of Pathology, far below the number needed to make a significant dent in the shortage. The average age in the field is 55. The shortage has contributed to backlogs. The understaffed Massachusetts medical examiner’s office didn’t complete more than 40% of its autopsy reports in fiscal 2014, causing potential delays in court cases and insurance claims by families...The shortage also means that some autopsies are performed by people who aren’t forensic pathologists at all, said John Fudenberg, Clark County Coroner in Nevada and former president of the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners. “You wouldn’t go to a family practice doctor to get heart surgery,” said Mr. Fudenberg."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/states-shortage-of-forensic-pathologists-delays-autopsies-1444689715
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com;
