Hospitals, nursing homes, and coroners must notify funeral directors or embalmers when they know a corpse has a contagious disease, and the notice must include specific tagging and written disease information.
§1271.2. Mandatory identification of infected corpses A. Each hospital, nursing home, and coroner which requests a funeral director or embalmer to transport a corpse shall notify any such funeral director, embalmer, or a representative thereof whenever there is actual knowledge that the corpse is infected with a contagious disease. The hospital, nursing home, or coroner shall inform the funeral director, embalmer, or representative thereof that the corpse is infected with a contagious disease during the initial telephone communication requesting that the corpse be transported. Further notification shall include a clearly visible, external tag that is readily discernible from other identification markers and a written statement that clearly indicates the name of the contagious disease or causative agent infecting or infesting said corpse. Such notification shall be made in a manner that protects the confidentiality of the deceased and the funeral director or embalmer handling the corpse. B. The Louisiana Department of Health through the office of public health shall promulgate rules and regulations to provide for the disposition by hospitals, nursing homes, coroners, and other medical personnel of corpses infected with known contagious diseases and to implement the provisions of this Section. Such regulations shall include, at a minimum, a requirement that each hospital, nursing home, and coroner's office establish staff procedures for implementing this law. C. Whoever violates the provisions of this Section shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars. Violation of the provisions of this Section shall constitute grounds for suspension or revocation of the professional license or certificate of the violator or for other disciplinary action by the respective professional regulatory board. Acts 1988, No. 668, §1; Redesignated from R.S. 40:1099.1 by HCR 84 of 2015 R.S.