All inquiries requesting a regular autopsy be performed can be directed to:
Monday through Friday: 8 AM to 5 PM, MST - Banner Morgue (520) 694-6561
On nights and weekends: Please contact the mortician on call - (520)-531-2417
All inquiries regarding organ donation (Willed Body Program) can be directed to:
BUMC Autopsy Suite at (520) 694-6083 or (520) 694-6000
All inquiries regarding medical records (status of an autopsy or pathology results) can be directed to:
BUMC Release of Information Department at (520) 694-7310
Private (Hospital) Autopsies
General:
Banner University Medical Center (BUMC)/University of Arizona hospitals perform autopsies in the Department of Pathology, Banner University Medical Center, 1625 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson AZ 85724, on decedents who are not Medical Examiner's cases and for whom a valid autopsy permission form has been obtained.
Types of Cases:
Medical Examiner's cases, for example those of homicide, suicide, accident, or death under suspicious circumstances, are performed by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (OME), at 520-724-8600 option 2. However, patients who die of natural causes, that is, medical diseases, do not fall under the OME's jurisdiction, and may undergo a hospital autopsy. These include common diseases, such a various kinds of heart disease, infectious diseases such a pneumonia, valley fever, etc., occupational diseases such as exposure to asbestos or silica, and all types of cancer. Patients who die suddenly while in apparent good health or who are being followed for a known disease may be autopsied here as well, as long as the OME does not accept jurisdiction.
Criteria for Accepting Cases:
The majority of our cases are patients dying of natural causes, for whom the next of kin is willing to authorize an autopsy. The next of kin is/are the surviving spouse, parents for a child, children for a sole parent, etc. Please call us at 520-694-6561 if you need help in this matter. The body must be in good condition, which usually means storage under refrigeration from shortly after death; an autopsy should be performed within 3 days of death.
Details of the Autopsy:
We prefer to perform a complete autopsy, which includes the organs of the chest and abdomen and the brain. However, a limited autopsy can also be done, such as a "brain only" autopsy for suspected Alzheimer's disease or a "chest only autopsy" on someone who died of heart disease. Organs will be removed, examined, and representative tissues/organs will be saved. Most of the tissues can be returned to the body if requested. Microscopic slides are prepared of all major organs. Autopsies are performed by pathology residents or fellows under the direct supervision of a University of Arizona Health Sciences Center/UMC board-certified pathologist. Preliminary diagnoses are available within two working days. Many cases are completed by 30 days, and all are completed by 60 days. Copies of the preliminary and final autopsy reports are sent to the next of kin.
How to Arrange for an Autopsy:
Please call the BUMC Autopsy Suite at 520-694-6561, Monday through Friday, from 8 AM to 5 PM, MST. On nights and weekends, please contact the the mortician on call @ (520)-531-2417.
Cost:
A full autopsy, adult or child, is $2,500; partial (brain only, chest only, etc.) and newborn autopsies are $1,700. Advance payment is required for all autopsy services. There is no charge for autopsies performed on individuals who pass away while an inpatient at Banner Tucson campus or Banner South campus.
Why Have an Autopsy?
Most of the time, clinical diagnoses made during a patient’s treatment are confirmed to be correct at autopsy. However, in approximately 5–10% of cases, autopsies reveal findings that would have changed the course of treatment and potentially improved the outcome if they had been known earlier. Physicians—particularly those at academic teaching hospitals—can benefit directly from autopsy results, as they offer valuable learning opportunities and enhance clinical practice.
Autopsies often resolve lingering clinical uncertainties, answering questions such as, “What was that shadow in the lung?” or “Why did the patient go into shock and die?” For the patient’s loved ones, autopsy findings frequently provide peace and closure. The next of kin often learn that:
The diagnoses and treatments were appropriate, or
The disease was so advanced that nothing more could have been done.
In general, autopsies support the grieving process by helping families and friends better understand the cause of death. Once a person is buried or cremated, it is typically too late to obtain definitive answers.
Occasionally, autopsies reveal diseases or conditions that are inherited or contagious, allowing surviving relatives or contacts to be screened or tested. In cases of sudden, unexpected death, knowing the precise cause can bring clarity and personal comfort.