Cowlitz County coroner proposes Randox testing to reduce autopsy and toxicology costs

Coroner Dana told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners during a budget review that she proposes trimming the coroner's office budget and buying a Randox in-house toxicology machine to reduce autopsy and outside-lab expenses.

Dana said the office's professional services line would fall from $275,000 to $175,000 after removing a $120,000-a-year contract with one forensic pathologist and other cuts. She presented 2024 case totals and reimbursements to justify the changes and outlined expected savings if the county adds the Randox quantitative testing capability.

Dana said the office performed 79 full autopsies in 2024 (73 adults and six infants). The coroner's accounting for 2024 showed total autopsy-related charges of roughly $175,002.50, not including some toxicology costs. She said coroner contracts and per-case fees vary by pathologist: one pathologist billed a flat fee that translated to an average autopsy cost of about $2,181; other pathologists billed different rates for infant or homicide cases.

The coroner described how state reimbursement works for autopsies: counties receive 100% of charges for children under 3 and 40% for other adult autopsies; the office reported $84,050.17 in total autopsy reimbursements for 2024. Dana said the first-half reimbursement is submitted each July and the second-half submission is due in February, and that some reimbursements can take several months to reach the county.

On the Randox device, Dana said the instrument provides quantitative clinical-chemistry results on blood samples in about 30 minutes and could let staff clear some death certificates faster and reduce the number of autopsies needed when medical history is lacking. "This is not, and will not, eliminate autopsies. Standard autopsies will still be done," Dana said. She said the county would still send blood to a board-certified laboratory (WSP) for formal toxicology confirmation when required.

Dana gave an estimated cost comparison: Randox annual service costs of about $8,000 plus roughly $50 per test versus outside-lab toxicology costs she cited at about $158 for standard panels and $243 for expanded panels at NMS; NMS also charges extra for certain individual tests. She said 35 drug-related deaths in 2024 that required autopsies because of unknown medical history cost roughly $73,500 at the pathologist flat fee; using Randox screening for those 35 cases would have cost about $1,750 in test fees plus the annual services charge, she estimated.

Dana also described proposed cuts to the indigent-burial line. She said the prior budget line was $5,600, and the proposed figure had been reduced to $700 based on recent actuals and a vendor arrangement that has kept per-case costs low. She noted many unclaimed decedents are labeled "abandoned by family" and said existing law does not force families to assume burial costs.

Commissioners and other staff asked about cash-flow timing for reimbursements, certification and training expenses for deputies, and whether the county would still rely on outside pathology consults. Dana said the county has sufficient beginning-year cash in the general fund and that some training and certification costs remain in the budget.

No formal action or vote on these proposals was recorded in the transcript excerpt; the figures and proposals were presented for commissioner review as part of the 2026 budget process.