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Local News

Sparrow Hospital to terminate contract for ME pathology services, asks Barry County to renegotiate

Barry County has received notice from Sparrow Health System that it intends to terminate its 2016 contract with the county for death investigations by its pathology services on Sept. 30.

 

“We sincerely hope that we can renegotiate the terms of our contract and that we can continue to serve as your Medical Examiner’s Office,” Sparrow Laboratory Director Jon Baker wrote.

 

Sparrow asks for an increase from $2.09 per capita to $2.50 per capita that “would allow us to break even on the service.” The increase would add $25,000 a year for the service. Baker also asked for Barry County “to communicate your intensions to us, no later than June 23.”

 

Baker said its forensic pathology department has operated at a deficit of $500,000 a year, which Sparrow Health System has absorbed; they can no longer subsidize counties, he said, so are re-evaluating the counties where it provides Medical Examiner services.

 

Commissioners directed Administrator Michael Brown to develop a request for proposals (RFPs) from pathology services to, “see what’s out there,” before they make a decision. The RFP will ask for prices on both individual cases and blanket coverage.

 

An ME is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In Michigan, manner of  death is limited to natural, accident, suicide, and homicide or indeterminate.  Also, information/evidence gathered by an ME may be critical for further legal proceedings. Barry County has several Medical Investigators who assist the ME.

Deaths that are thought to be from injury or poisoning, violent, sudden, unexpected, unattended or not readily explainable deaths are investigated, including autopsies, by the ME’s office. //

 

Barry County had a doctor who was ME, but after his death, no other doctor was interested in taking the office, and extensive examination and autopsies had to be sent to an out of county pathology lab, making it “not optimal,” Brown said.

 

During discussion, commissioners stressed the excellent service provided by Sparrow, and whether to ask for RFPs.

Commissioner Heather Wing noted if not enough counties signed new contracts and Sparrow eliminated the pathology service, the county would still have to issue RFPs to find another service.

 

Sparrow serves as Medical Examiner to Eaton, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Livingston, Montcalm, Muskegon and Shiawassee counties.

 

 

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