2020 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 24 - Health and Safety
Article 7B - Mental Health Care Treatment Decisions
Section 24-7B-9 - Obligations of mental health treatment provider.
A. Before implementing a mental health treatment decision made for a patient, a supervising health care provider shall promptly communicate to the patient the decision made and the identity of the person making the decision.
B. A supervising health care provider who knows of the existence of an advance directive for mental health treatment, a revocation of an advance directive for mental health treatment or a challenge to a determination or certification of lack of capacity shall promptly record its existence in the patient's health care record and, if it is in writing, shall request a copy and, if one is furnished, shall arrange for its maintenance in the health care record.
C. A qualified health care professional shall disclose an advance directive for mental health treatment to other qualified health care professionals only when it is determined that disclosure is necessary to give effect to or provide treatment in accordance with an individual instruction.
D. A supervising health care provider who makes or is informed of a written determination or certification pursuant to Section 5 [24-7B-5 NMSA 1978] of the Mental Health Care Treatment Decisions Act that a patient lacks or has recovered capacity or that another condition exists that affects an individual instruction or the authority of an agent or guardian shall promptly record the determination in the patient's health care record and communicate the determination or certification to the patient and to any person then authorized to make mental health treatment decisions for the patient.
E. Except as provided in Subsections F and G of this section, a health care provider or mental health treatment facility providing care to a patient shall comply:
(1) before and after the patient is determined to lack capacity, with an individual instruction of the patient made while the patient had capacity;
(2) with a reasonable interpretation of the individual instruction made by a person then authorized to make mental health treatment decisions for the patient; and
(3) with a mental health treatment decision for the patient that is not contrary to an individual instruction of the patient and is made by a person then authorized to make mental health treatment decisions for the patient, to the same extent as if the decision had been made by the patient while having capacity.
F. A mental health treatment provider may only decline to comply with an individual instruction or mental health treatment decision for any of the following reasons:
(1) the treatment requested is infeasible or unavailable;
(2) the facility or provider is not licensed or authorized to provide the treatment requested; or
(3) the treatment requested conflicts with other applicable law.
G. A mental health treatment provider or mental health treatment facility may decline to comply with an individual instruction or mental health treatment decision that requires medically ineffective health care or health care contrary to generally accepted health care standards applicable to the mental health treatment provider or mental health treatment facility. "Medically ineffective health care" means treatment that would not offer the patient any significant benefit, as determined by a physician chosen by the principal or agent.
H. A health care provider or mental health treatment facility that declines to comply with an individual instruction or mental health care decision shall:
(1) promptly so inform the patient, if possible, and any person then authorized to make mental health care decisions for the patient;
(2) provide continuing care to the patient until a transfer can be effected; and
(3) unless the patient or person then authorized to make mental health treatment decisions for the patient refuses assistance, immediately make all reasonable efforts to assist in the transfer of the patient to another health care provider or mental health treatment facility that is willing to comply with the individual instruction or decision.
I. A health care provider or mental health treatment facility shall not require or prohibit the execution or revocation of an advance directive for mental health treatment as a condition for providing health care.
J. The Mental Health Care Treatment Decisions Act does not require or permit a mental health treatment facility or health care provider to provide any type of mental health treatment for which the mental health treatment facility or health care provider is not licensed, certified or otherwise authorized or permitted by law to provide.
History: Laws 2006, ch. 7, § 9.
ANNOTATIONSEffective dates. — Laws 2006, ch. contained no effective date provision, but, pursuant to N.M. Const., art. IV, § 23, was effective May 17, 2006, 90 days after adjournment of the legislature.
