Cases of medical negligence and nursing home abuse are not uncommon in New Mexico. For years, the Department of Health has taken numerous measures to address and prevent these problems. The Incident Management Bureau has adopted a proactive approach and a preventive outlook in order to bring about improvement in the quality of care received by vulnerable people who need to take advantage of the services of community-based programs. The Incident Management Bureau is part of the Division of Health Improvement. The department is overseen by the Department of Health.
The process of incident management involves collection, classification and utilization of incident data in order to take preventive steps to alleviate harm or protect patients from harm. The process is similar to a system of aggressive risk management, in which data about operational safety is collected on a continuous basis. The sole objective of the Incident Management Bureau is to correct and take measures to avoid harm to individuals availing community-based programs.
The Incident Management Bureau works toward improving the service provided by community-based programs by preventing nursing home abuse, exploitation and neglect toward individuals who take advantage of the programs. It investigates and collects data related to allegations of abuse or neglect. The investigations are either conducted independently by the bureau or in collaboration with other agencies.
Any family member, community member or staff of a program can report to the bureau any incidents of abuse, exploitation, neglect, hazardous environmental issues or death. If a family member suspects a loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, they can also consult an attorney who practices in this area to evaluate other options.
Source: Health.State.NM.us, “Incident Management Bureau (IMB),” accessed on Oct. 20, 2014