The Ada County Coroner’s Office stands proudly as one of few offices in the entire United States granted dual accreditation through both the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IAC&ME) and the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). Achieving these accreditations required each division of the Ada County Coroner’s Office, Administration, Forensics and Investigations, to attain a specific set of standards. Accreditation by these esteemed organizations represents an endorsement of the Ada County Coroner’s Office’s development and application of the highest of standards within the industry in addition to adept medicolegal death investigation services provided in the Ada County community.
The International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners
“The International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners (IACME) has over 85 years of experience in the presentation of educational seminars for the purpose of assisting Coroners and Medical Examiners and other forensic specialists in the performance of their duties.
This commitment is enshrined in the Association’s mission statement, “Dedicated to the promotion of excellence in medicolegal death investigation through collaboration, education, and accreditation.”
ACCREDITATION
The IACME offers accreditation for offices of all sizes. This certification process provides coroner and medical examiner offices the opportunity to self assess and subsequently have auditors, trained by the association, to review applicable standards.
The procedure allows coroner and medical examiner offices to ensure they are conducting business practices and procedures in compliance with international standards.”
The National Association of Medical Examiners
“The NAME is the premier professional organization for medical examiners, forensic pathologists, and medicolegal affiliates and administrators. Since its founding in 1966 NAME has been committed to:
- Providing leadership and advocacy for best practices and excellence in forensic pathology and death investigation;
- Developing and promulgating forensic autopsy standards;
- Offering and promoting accreditation of medicolegal death investigation systems in the United States and internationally;
- Providing education to its members and stakeholders;
- Promoting research and advancing knowledge;
- Ensuring access to ethical, objective and impartial services, including testimony, to all stakeholders;
- Representing medicolegal death investigation and its practicing professionals to the public and the government;
- Enhancing public health through thorough and accurate death investigation and certification; and
- Treating decedents and their survivors with dignity and respect.
NAME’s vision is accomplished through leadership, education, collaboration, advocacy, outreach, publication, and research. The NAME will continue to be the foremost authority promoting the highest quality forensic pathology practice and medicolegal death investigation in the world. The application of excellence in this medical practice will enhance public health, public safety and the administration of justice.
ACCREDITATION
The National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) accreditation standards have been prepared and revised by NAME for the purpose of improving the quality of the medicolegal investigation of death in this country. Accreditation applies to offices and systems, not individual practitioners. The standards emphasize policies and procedures, not professional work product. The standards represent minimum standards for an adequate medicolegal system, not guidelines. NAME accreditation is an endorsement indicating that the office or system provides an adequate environment for a medical examiner in which to practice his or her profession and provides reasonable assurances that the office or system well serves its jurisdiction. It is the objective of NAME that the application of these standards will aid materially in developing and maintaining a high caliber of medicolegal investigation of death for the communities and jurisdictions in which they operate.”