The Minnesota Department of Health regulates Minnesota nursing homes.
The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics forecasts an increased need for health care workers in the United States. As the population ages and the health care field grows, the need for nursing home facilities increases. Nursing home administrators must cope with an expanding regulatory environment. Minnesota's Department of Health, or MDH, regulates nursing homes in Minnesota.
Licensing
The Minnesota Department of Health licenses facilities as nursing homes if five or more residents do not suffer from acute illnesses. The MDH issues the license according to the number of beds in the nursing home. The nursing home must keep the license posted and renew the license yearly. The MDH can condition or limit a license if the nursing home's conditions do not meet MDH standards, the nursing home compromises the welfare of the residents or illegal activities take place on the nursing home premises.
Nursing Home Administrator
The nursing home must designate a licensed nursing home administrator who will submit MDH-required reports; formulate nursing home policies and procedures; maintain personnel records; create written job descriptions for all positions in the nursing home; assign tasks and maintain a weekly schedule for staff and tasks; provide for in-service education for employees; maintain an accounting system for the nursing home; schedule meetings of supervisory staff members; and evaluate employees.
Planning and Professional Licensing
The nursing home must demonstrate a viable written plan for disaster planning and must hold periodic drills to demonstrate the viability of the plan. The nursing home must develop a plan for consulting medical professionals when necessary and must maintain a staff of on-site medical professionals as well as professionals whom the nursing home staff can call for consultation as necessary. All medical professionals must hold valid State of Minnesota licenses that show that they have certification in their profession or specialization.
Staffing
Nursing homes with over 90 beds must maintain an in-service training schedule and staff to provide in-service training. Staff may not work for more than one consecutive work shift except in cases of emergencies. The nursing home must have one staff member awake and alert at all times. This staff member must be at least 21 years old and capable of performing evacuation duties if necessary.
Admissions
The nursing home must not admit residents who suffer from a condition or disability for whom the nursing home cannot offer proper care. The nursing home must provide a written document that notes the rate that the nursing home will charge the resident or her family. This must include notations of extra charges, notations of charges not covered by Medicare or Medicaid and the nursing home's refund policy.
Residents' Rights
Nursing homes must allow visitors easy visiting privileges as long as the visits do not pose a health hazard or other disturbance to the residents. Residents may smoke in supervised areas, or in bed if a resident's health requires him to stay in bed, only under the supervision of a staff member. Nursing homes must make telephones accessible to residents and must ensure that residents receive their mail unopened and that their outgoing mail remains uncensored.
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