This performance measure, titled "Percent of Death Scenes with a Physical Response by an OME Death Investigator," quantifies the proportion of death scenes that are physically attended by a Medical Examiner's (OME) death investigator.

The primary purpose of this measure is to assess the responsiveness and on-site investigative capacity of the OME's death investigation unit. A physical presence at the scene is often critical for a thorough and accurate death investigation. An OME investigator can:

• Corroborate information provided by first responders.
• Document and collect physical evidence related to the cause and manner of death.
• Examine the decedent in their environment, which can provide crucial context for the pathologist's subsequent autopsy.

A higher percentage indicates a more rigorous and comprehensive on-site investigation process, leading to improved accuracy in death certification and a more robust medical-legal death investigation system. Conversely, a low percentage might suggest reliance on second-hand information, which could lead to missed details or inaccurate findings.

In early October it was discovered that there may be issues with the data exports used to generate this metric. It appears it may have impacted August, the Office is researching and will update once the issue has been identified and resolved.