H259 - 2023 Appropriations Act. (SL 2023-134)

Overview: Section 9H.10A of S.L. 2023-134 directs the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to ensure any contract for the performance of pathology services with East Carolina University (ECU) includes the following requirements: (i) ECU is reimbursed for each completed autopsy; (ii) ECU, at the request of the OCME, serves as a backup for performing autopsies for other areas of the State in certain circumstances; (iii) ECU is available for critical medical examiner surge capacity; and (iv) the authority of the Chief Medical Examiner to contract with qualified persons to perform or provide support services for autopsies and other investigations is preserved.

This section requires ECU to do the following:

• Notify DHHS, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Fiscal Research Division when the new ECU Medical Examiner’s Office is completed and has started operating.
• Annually submit a progress report starting February 1, 2024, to DHHS, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Fiscal Research Division on the status of relocating the regional autopsy center serving the State’s eastern counties.

This section became effective October 3, 2023, and applies to contracts entered into, extended, or renewed on or after that date.