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Median time to certify death certificates after initial receipt of decedents' remains (hours:minutes)
Perform the processes necessary to certify deaths falling within the agency's jurisdiction. — Certify death certificates in a timely manner.
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 15 hr 1 min | 72 hr |
| FY23 | 15 hr 6 min | 72 hr |
| FY24 | 15 hr 31 min | 72 hr |
| FY25 | 15 hr 7 min | 72 hr |
| FY26 (YTD) | 14 hr 51 min | 72 hr |
14 hr 51 min in FY26 — met the City's own target for this indicator (57 hr 9 min below the 72 hr target), though it has trended in the wrong direction over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
OCME was created on January 1, 1918 under a 1915 New York State law that abolished the office of Coroner of New York City, a position that did not require any medical training. Dr. Charles Norris became the city's first Chief Medical Examiner and built the office into a pioneer of forensic medicine and toxicology in America. Today OCME investigates and certifies deaths that are sudden, violent, unexplained, or otherwise fall within its legal jurisdiction, producing the official record used by families, courts, and insurers.
Wikipedia - Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York, Wikipedia - Charles Norris (medical examiner)
Source: IT Case Management System — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported monthly.
Definition: The median time OCME takes to certify NYC death certificates after initially receiving decedents remains. State law mandates that all remains be issued an initial death certificate within 72 hours, and therefore DOHMH requires of OCME that such an issuance be provided within that time.