LOOKING FOR ASSISTANCE

The Division of Health Improvement (DHI) is the regulatory entity providing compliance oversight for the following areas.

• Health Facility Licensing and Certification licenses health facilities such as: Acute and Continuing care, long-term care, assisted living home care and hospice, free standing birth centers, community mental health centers and other facilities.
• Community-Based Programs for the Developmental Disabilities Waiver, Medically Fragile Waiver and the Mi Via Waiver.
• Conducts investigations of Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation for licensed health facilities and home and community-based Medicaid waiver programs.
• Operates the Caregivers Criminal History Screening Program (CCHSP) which provides criminal background checks on potential caregivers.
• Operates the Employee Abuse Registry (EAR) also known as, the Consolidated Online Employee Abuse Registry (COR) which provides background checks for all caregivers, ensuring they have not been disqualified by a substantiated case of ANE. Individuals placed on the EAR are not eligible for hire as caregivers.
• Operates the Certified Nurse Aide Registry (NAR) and Training program.
• Certifies all clinical laboratories operating in New Mexico meet health and safety requirements.

What are you looking for today? DHI FAQs:

• How do I report Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation? Or file a complaint against a health facility?
• How do I get a caregiver background check?
• What is the Employee Abuse Registry?
• How do I become a CNA in New Mexico?
• How do I find Health Facility Licensing and Certification in New Mexico?
• What is the CLIA Program?
• Where do I find survey reports on health facilities compliance?
• Where can I search for Assisted Living Facilities?
• Where do I find survey reports on DDW and community-based waiver provider agencies?
• Where do I find information on how to request an Informal Dispute Resolution on a health facility citation?
• Find new and pending regulations?

Special Announcement:

Health Care Facilities and Licensing (HFCL) is now accepting e-payments!

The New Mexico Health Care Authority Division of Health Improvement is excited to announce a new, paperless billing solution for the convenience of all healthcare facilities to submit their state licensure fee. Instructions will be provided at the time of licensure. For any questions, please contact facility.license@hca.nm.gov.

Enforcement Activities

DHI enforcement activities include:

• Surveys — Conducting health & safety surveys for both health facilities and community based waiver programs.
• Visit the Health Facility Provider Search page to search the licensed healthcare facility survey reports.
• Visit the Developmental Disabilities Waiver Survey Unit, Medically Fragile Waiver Survey Unit and Mi Via Self-Directed Waiver Survey Unit pages to view completed surveys and past performance of providers.
• Investigations — Conducting investigations of alleged Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation, suspicious or unknown injures, death or environmental hazards in waiver programs and health facilities.
• Compliance — Ensuring caregivers have required Background Checks and screenings, and ensuring compliance with other statutes, rules and regulations.

Health facilities and community based waiver programs found out of compliance may be subject to civil monetary penalties or other sanctions as authorized by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or state law.

Voting Rights for Long Term Care Residents

• Voting Rights for Long Term Care Residents

   

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Organizational Structure

The Division of Health Improvement consists of staff members located in 4 field offices across New Mexico with a central office in Santa Fe. Our staff have a variety of professional and educational backgrounds and experiences. Many are licensed as psychologists, nurses, physicians, life safety code engineers, architects, social workers and other related fields, who hold bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. We are organized into the following three areas.

1. Health Facility Licensing and Certification – Consists of District Operations which conducts surveys of Certified Long-term Care health facilities, Program Operations which administers the facility licenses and conducts surveys of acute and continuing care health facilities and the Licensed Oversight bureau which conducts surveys of state licensed only facilities such as, assisted living facilities or boarding homes.
2. Home and Community Based Waiver Programs – Consists of Incident Management and Quality Management.
3. Director’s Office – Consists of DHI Administrative Services, Human Resources and the Office of Policy, Planning & Performance Improvement.

Please see the Human Resources section of our website for a list of Job Opportunities with Division of Health Improvement and obtain our latest organizational chart.

Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Has your health facility recently been surveyed by the Division of Health Improvement? If so, we would like to know how we performed.

• Health Facility Customer Satisfaction Survey
• Community-Based Waiver Provider Customer Satisfaction Survey
• Incident Management Bureau — Please send IMB customer feedback directly to Teri Cotter.

 Regulations

Please visit the Regulations page for a complete listing of the rules and regulations which govern the majority of what we do.

New Emergency Rule and Pending Regulations

The New Mexico Health Care Authority Division of Health Improvement is finalizing repeal and replacement of the temporary emergency rule 8.370.8 NMAC Employee Abuse Registry.

Specifically, the changes include: 8.370.8 NMAC

Repeal/replace the expiring emergency rule to establish new updated rule to comply with federal regulations as well as NMAC rule requirements.  Specifically, reformatting Section 7 definitions, updating the reporting contact information in Section 9, updating the investigation timelines in Section 10, and the severity standard in Section 11. The proposed rule may be viewed at the Division of Health Improvement website at https://www.hca.nm.gov/dhi-regulations/.

A public hearing to receive testimony on this proposed rule will be held on September 3, 2025, 9:00 a.m-12:00 p.m. The public hearing will be a Hybrid, via Zooms as well as in person, pursuant to Section 14-4-5.6 NMSA 1978.

Join on your computer, mobile app, or room device.

The Notice of rule hearing can be found on the State Records Center and Archives registry Volume XXXVI, Issue 14 publication date 7/29/2025. The corrected rule can also be found on our Regulations page.

Recent Emergency Rules:

The Health Care Authority Division of Health Improvement is issuing a temporary emergency rule to amend 8.370.8 NMAC section 11, Severity Standard. It updates and clarifies the standards for caregiver offenses that can be referred for placement on the Employee Abuse Registry. This emergency rule is effective on February 11, 2025. the emergency amendment can also be found on the State Records Center and Archives registry volume XXXVI issue 4 publication date 2/25/2025.

Recent Rule Updates:

DHI has repealed and replaced the Health Facility Licensure Fees and Procedures NMAC 8.370.3. The replacement rule can be found on the State Records Center and Archives registry Volume XXXVI Issue 2, Publication date 1/28/2025, effective date 1/28/2025.

DHI has amended the Caregivers and Hospital Caregivers Screening Requirements NMAC 8.370.5 sections 8 and 9. The revised amendments can be found on the State Records Center and Archives registry Volume XXXVI Issue 2, Publication date 1/28/2025 effective date 1/28/2025.

Be sure to visit our Regulations page to view recent updates made to existing rules.

Notice of Public Hearing

Public Hearing Zoom Meeting Information:

You are invited to a Zoom webinar!

When: January 26^th, 2026, 10:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Topics:

• DHI Rules Hearing ( 8.321.13, 8.370.8, 8.370.17 )
• HCA Division of Health Improvement Public Hearing – New Rules 8.321.13 AARTC & amendments to 8.370.17, 8.370.8
• HCA Division of Health Improvement Public Hearing – New Rules 8.321.13 & 8.370.17

Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:

Passcode:698886

Phone one-tap:

+1+12532050468,,86175123521#

+1+12532158782,,86175123521#

Join via audio:

+Webinar ID: 861 7512 3521

Passcode: 698886

International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kysxUcskN

All written comment may be dropped off during the scheduled hearing time (see above) at the Division of Health Improvement offices, at the Hozho conference room #109, 5300 Homestead Rd. NE, Albuquerque NM 87110.

Individuals wishing to testify may contact the Division of Health Improvement (DHI), P.O. Box H, Santa Fe, NM 87504, or by calling (505) 476-9093.

Individuals who do not wish to attend the hearing may submit written or recorded comments.  Written or recorded comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. on January 26^th, 2026,  Please send comments to: Division of Health Improvement P.O. Box H Santa Fe, NM 87504, Recorded comments may be left at (505) 476-9093.  You may send comments electronically to HCA-DHI-Public-Comment@hca.nm.gov

Written and recorded comments will be posted to the agency’s website within 3 days of receipt.  All comments will be given the same consideration as oral testimony made at the public hearing.

If you are a person with a disability and you require this information in an alternative format, or you require a special accommodation to participate in any HSD public hearing, program, or service, please contact the American Disabilities Act Coordinator, at Office-505-709-5468, Fax-505-827-6286 or through the New Mexico Relay system, toll free at #711.  The Department requests at least a 10-day advance notice to provide requested alternative formats and special accommodations.

 Recent Hearings:

The New Mexico Health Care Authority Division of Health Improvement is finalizing repeal and replacement of the temporary emergency rule 8.370.8 NMAC Employee Abuse Registry.

These regulations apply to a broad range of New Mexico providers of health care and services and employees of these providers who are not licensed health care professionals or certified nurse aides.  This rule requires that providers check with the registry and avoid employing an individual on the registry.  This rule provides for the investigation and determination of complaints alleging abuse, neglect or exploitation of recipients of care or services by employees.  This rule further requires listing employees with substantiated registry-referred abuse, neglect or exploitation on the registry, following an opportunity for a hearing.  This rule supplements other pre-employment screening requirements currently applicable to health care providers, such as the requirement for criminal history screening of caregivers employed by care providers subject to the Caregiver Criminal History Screening Act, Sections 29-17-1 et seq. NMSA 1978, and that Act’s implementing rule, 8.370.5 NMAC.  It also supplements requirements for pre-employment screening of certified nurse aides applicable to nursing facilities pursuant to 42 CFR Sections 483.75(e) and 488.335; and 8.370.25 NMAC.  This rule does not address the consequences of abuse, neglect, or exploitation for which a provider, as distinguished from an employee, is responsible.

Specifically, the changes include: 8.370.8 NMAC

Repeal/replace the expiring emergency rule to establish new updated rule to comply with federal regulations as well as NMAC rule requirements.  Specifically, reformatting Section 7 definitions, updating the reporting contact information in Section 9, updating the investigation timelines in Section 10, and the severity standard in Section 11. The proposed rule may be viewed at the Division of Health Improvement website at https://www.hca.nm.gov/dhi-regulations.

A public hearing to receive testimony on this proposed rule was held on September 3, 2025, 9:00 a.m-12:00 p.m. The public hearing was held via a Hybrid, via Zooms as well as in person, pursuant to Section 14-4-5.6 NMSA 1978.

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The New Mexico Health Care Authority Division of Health Improvement is finalizing repeal and replacement of the rule 8.370.14 Assisted Living Facilities for Adults.  These regulations apply to any assisted living facility for adults as defined by Subsection D of 24-1-2 NMSA 1978, as amended, which is licensed or is required to be licensed, which is operated for the maintenance or care of two or more adults who need or desire assistance with one or more activities of daily living.  The purpose of these regulations is to update and clarify the requirements to current standards of care and practice.

8.370.14 NMAC

This is a repeal and replacement of the NMAC requirements for Assisted Living Facilities for Adults.

Community Programs

IMB Reporting Guidelines and Forms:

• Community Programs ANE Reporting Guide for SFY21 (English version)
• Abuso, Negligencia y Explotación Información Guía (En Espanol)
• Community Program ANE Reporting Form
• Immediate Action Safety Plan
• Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation Reporting Poster for Community Programs
• NMAC 8.370.10 — ANE and death reporting, training, and related requirements for community providers

IMB Annual Reports

Community Provider Survey Report of Findings

• Living Care Arrangements, Community Inclusion (Customized Community Supports & Employment Services) Report of Findings
• Case Management Services Report of Findings
• Medically Fragile Waiver Survey Unit Report of Findings
• Mi Via Self-Directed Waiver Survey Unit Report of Findings

Field Tools

Please visit the Field Tools page to explore the various field tools such as Case Management, Living Care and Arrangements, and Community Inclusion.

ANE Training for Community Providers

• Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation Required Training Director’s Release
• Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation Provider Training

Licensed Health Facilities

• Health Facility Consumer Complaint Form — Fax number and mailing address are in the form.
• Health Facility Reporting System
• Incident Management System Guide for all Licensed Health Care Facilities SFY2023
• Health Facility Consumer Complaint Form
• Health Facility Complaint Investigation Five Day Follow-up Report Form
• Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation Reporting Poster for Health Facilities
• Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation Reporting Poster for Health Facilities (Spanish)
• Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation Reporting Poster for Health Facilities (Vietnamese)
• Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation Reporting Tribal Phone Numbers
• NMAC 8.370.9 — Incident Reporting, Intake, Processing & Training Requirements for Facilities

Search Licensed Health Facilities Survey Report of Findings

• Health Facility Provider Search

Search Medicare Nursing Home Compare

Nursing Home Compare provides details on nursing homes across the country. This includes nursing home inspection results, staffing levels, enforcement actions that the federal government have taken against the nursing homes and how well nursing home residents were treated in specific areas of care.

• Nursing Home Compare (Search)
• Nursing Home Compare (Information)

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