For decades, when Dane County coroners have needed an autopsy performed, they have turned to experts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite the perception among many that coroners perform autopsies, they typically are not qualified to do so.
….Under state law, coroners are also elected, just like county clerks and sheriffs. But that is starting to change. Twenty-seven of Wisconsinâ??s 72 counties have abandoned coroners in favor of hired medical examiners, and a state law will force Dane County to be one of them soon.
….Dane County is considering severing its relationship with the UW medical school and hiring its own forensic pathologists even though UW officials are skeptical that the county would save money.