The Division of Health Improvement (DHI) plays a critical role on improving the health outcomes and ensuring the safety of New Mexicans. DHI ensures that healthcare facilities, community based Medicaid waiver providers and community support services deliver safe and effective healthcare and community services in accordance with laws, regulations, and standards of practice.

DHI works closely with key stakeholders to promote and protect the health, safety, and quality of life of New Mexicans. Our stakeholders include executive and legislative policy makers; providers; facilities and contractors; other state, local, and federal government agencies; advocacy groups; professional organizations; provider associations; various task forces and commissions; and the tax paying public at large.

Key DHI enforcement activities include: conducting various health and safety surveys for both facilities and community-based programs; conducting investigations of alleged abuse, neglect, exploitation, death or environmental hazards; and processing over 44,000 caregiver criminal history screenings annually.

FY18 OPERATING BUDGET: $12,047,500

• General Funds: $4,192,600
• Other Transfers: $3,348,400
• Federal Funds: $2,613,000
• Other State Funds: $1,893,500

During the second quarter of FY18, some of DHI’s accomplishments included:

• Implemented a staff development program utilizing a monthly "Ted Talk" format.
• Long-Term Care surveyors completed the training in the new nursing home regulations, which went into effect November 2017.

Health, Facilities, Licensing, and Certification:

• Completed all required Centers for Medicare and Medicaid health facility surveys:
  • 11 health facility complaint surveys
  • 2 life safety code surveys
  • 6 home health agencies
  • 1 rural health clinic
  • 2 hospice agencies
  • 1 End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) facility
  • 1 diagnostic & treatment center
  • 17 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) surveys 

Community Based Waiver Programs:

• Held a one-day training for Incident Management Bureau (IMB) Investigators using data from our Quarterly Investigation Quality Review to inform our training curriculum. 
• Held a week-long Core-Competencies training for seven new IMB Investigators. 
• Revisions to the draft FY18 Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Reporting guide for Community-Based Service Providers were completed and the guide will soon be finalized and released for distribution in both Spanish and English.
• Quality Management Bureau and the Developmental Disabilities and Supports Division (DDSD) have developed new components to be added to the community provider survey tool and a new compliance determination process, which will go into effect on April 1st 2018.