US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

     246.018 Office of medical director. 

    Subdivision 1.    Established.  The Office of Medical 
 Director within the Department of Human Services is established. 

    Subd. 2.    Medical director.  The commissioner of human 
 services shall appoint, and unless otherwise established by law, 
 set the salary of a licensed physician to serve as medical 
 director to assist in establishing and maintaining the medical 
 policies of the Department of Human Services.  The commissioner 
 may place the medical director's position in the unclassified 
 service if the position meets the criteria of section 43A.08, 
 subdivision 1a.  The medical director must be a psychiatrist 
 certified by the Board of Psychiatry. 

    Subd. 3.    Duties.  The medical director shall: 

    (1) oversee the clinical provision of inpatient mental 
 health services provided in the state's regional treatment 
 centers; 

    (2) recruit and retain psychiatrists to serve on the state 
 medical staff established in subdivision 4; 

    (3) consult with the commissioner of human services, 
 community mental health center directors, and the state-operated 
 services governing body to develop standards for treatment and 
 care of patients in state-operated service programs; 

    (4) develop and oversee a continuing education program for 
 members of the medical staff; and 

    (5) participate and cooperate in the development and 
 maintenance of a quality assurance program for state-operated 
 services that assures that residents receive quality inpatient 
 care and continuous quality care once they are discharged or 
 transferred to an outpatient setting. 

    Subd. 4.    State-operated services medical staff.  (a) 
 The medical director shall establish a state-operated services 
 medical staff which shall be under the clinical direction of the 
 Office of Medical Director. 

    (b) The medical director, in conjunction with the medical 
 staff, shall: 

    (1) establish standards and define qualifications for 
 physicians who care for residents in state-operated services; 

    (2) monitor the performance of physicians who care for 
 residents in state-operated services; and 

    (3) recommend to the commissioner changes in procedures for 
 operating state-operated service facilities that are needed to 
 improve the provision of medical care in those facilities. 

    HIST: 1989 c 282 art 4 s 62; 1Sp2003 c 14 art 6 s 23-25 

Copyright 2005 by the Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota.