Decedent storage contract checklist for agencies and hospitals

Capacity

• The number of reserved positions, if any.
• How to request more positions, and how fast the provider answers.
• What happens when the provider has no space.

Receipt

• Who can deliver decedents on your behalf.
• What the provider records: identification, case number, tags, seals, documents, delivering organization and time.
• What documents must come with each decedent.

Storage and custody

• An assigned refrigerated position for each decedent.
• Temperature monitoring and records, and how you can see them.
• Who can enter the storage area, and the access record.
• A statement that the provider does not open or remove seals, alter evidence, or perform autopsies or examinations.

Release

• Who in your organization can authorize a release, and how: in writing, by email or on a form.
• What the release record contains: the receiving organization, the person who accepts custody, the date and time, and a signature.
• How the provider sends you the full custody history for the case file.

Pricing and terms

• Daily, weekly or reserved-capacity rates.
• What is not included, for example transport.
• Invoicing, payment terms and the contract period.
• Insurance, confidentiality and termination.

Before you sign

Visit the facility. Ask to see a blank receipt record and a blank release record. Ask how the provider handles a power failure. A provider that keeps good records can show you how each record works.