The new mexico office of the medical investigator (OMI) proposes to implement the maintaining name accreditation through strategic workload stabilization project

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center $100,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Strengthening the Medical Examiner - Coroner System program (CFDA 16.037) to implement the Maintaining Name Accreditation Through Strategic Workload Stabilization Project.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator will use the funding to preserve full accreditation with the National Association of Medical Examiners by reducing excessive autopsy workloads and improving report turnaround times statewide. Project activities include quarterly engagement of locum tenens forensic pathologists to reduce staff pathologist autopsy and external examination caseloads, and allocation of one percent of the Deputy Chief Medical Investigator's time to manage NAME compliance, workload distribution, and performance monitoring. Deliverables include reduction in OMI staff forensic pathologist caseloads to within NAME standards for autopsy equivalents per pathologist, elimination of NAME Phase I or II deficiencies upon accreditation review, improvement in report turnaround times, and sustained full NAME accreditation.

The intended beneficiaries are bereaved families of New Mexico, law enforcement agencies, and victims of violent crime. The award supports high-quality, legally defensible medicolegal death investigation services. The period of performance runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028. Work is performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. No sub-recipients are involved in this award.

The purpose is to preserve full accreditation with the national association of medical examiners (name) by reducing excessive autopsy workloads and improving report turnaround times in the state of new mexico. Project activities include quarterly engagement of locum tenens forensic pathologists to reduce staff pathologist autopsy and external examination workload, and allocation of 1% of the deputy chief medical investigators time to manage name compliance, workload distribution, and performance monitoring. Bereaved families of new mexico, law enforcement agencies, and victims of violent crime are the intended beneficiaries of this project, that aims to increase timeliness of autopsy reporting and death certification. There are no subrecipient activities under this award. Deliverables and expected outcomes include reduction in OMI staff forensic pathologist caseloads to within name standards for autopsy equivalents per pathologist without name phase i or II deficiencies upon accreditation review, improvement in report turnaround times, and sustained full name accreditation to ensure continued delivery of high-quality, legally defensible medicolegal death investigation services statewide.