Case Completion Time Improvement and Backlog Reduction Program for The Monroe County Office of the Medical Examiner

The Monroe County Office of the Medical Examiner (MCOME) is a regional office that provides forensic death investigations and autopsy service to thirteen counties in central western New York. Currently, the MCOME case turnaround time for autopsy cases averages five months from the report of death to case finalization. This results in a backlog of about 500 cases.

The goals of this project are to reduce case turnaround time to achieve the National Association of Medical Examiner standards objective of 90% of cases completed in 90 days and reduce or eliminate the current backlog.

The objectives of this project are:
1. Contract with forensic pathologists who can assist staff pathologists by performing needed examinations and reviewing backlogged cases to allow for completion,
2. Send selected staff to both basic and advanced trainings to ensure that necessary skills and knowledge are available to complete investigative work in a timely accurate manner that is consistent with generally acceptable practices, and
3. Obtain equipment and supplies needed to ensure the integrity of evidence handling procedures as well as ensuring that workspaces are appropriate for the work that needs to be performed.

While many partnerships already exist with various entities in the community, the delay in completing cases often leads to concern and hardship for these partners. Ensuring that quality findings are quickly available will help all partners complete their necessary tasks in a more efficient manner.

ca/ncf