N.M. Stat. § 27-7A-2
Definitions.
As used in the Employee Abuse Registry Act:
A. "abuse" means:
(1)
knowingly, intentionally or negligently and without justifiable cause
inflicting physical pain, injury or mental anguish; or
(2)
the intentional deprivation by a caretaker or other person of services
necessary to maintain the mental and physical health of a person;
B. "department" means the department of health;
C. "direct care" means face-to-face services provided or routine and unsupervised
physical or financial access to a recipient of services;
D. "employee" means a person employed by or on contract with a provider, either
directly or through a third party arrangement to provide direct care. "Employee" does
not include a New Mexico licensed health care professional practicing within the scope
of the profession's license or a certified nurse aide;
E. "exploitation" means an unjust or improper use of a person's money or property
for another person's profit or advantage, pecuniary or otherwise;
F. "neglect" means, subject to a person's right to refuse treatment and subject to a
provider's right to exercise sound medical discretion, the failure of an employee to
provide basic needs such as clothing, food, shelter, supervision and care for the
physical and mental health of a person or failure by a person that may cause physical or
psychological harm;
G. "provider" means an intermediate care facility for individuals with developmental
or intellectual disabilities; a rehabilitation facility; a home health agency; a homemaker
agency; a home for the aged or disabled; a group home; an adult foster care home; a
case management entity that provides services to elderly people or people with
developmental disabilities; a corporate guardian; a private residence that provides
personal care, adult residential care or natural and surrogate family services provided to
persons with developmental disabilities; an adult daycare center; a boarding home; an
adult residential care home; a residential service or habilitation service authorized to be
reimbursed by medicaid; any licensed or medicaid-certified entity or any program
funded by the aging and long-term services department that provides respite,
companion or personal care services; programs funded by the children, youth and
families department that provide homemaker or adult daycare services; and any other
individual, agency or organization that provides respite care or delivers home- and
community-based services to adults or children with developmental disabilities or
physical disabilities or to the elderly, but excluding a managed care organization unless
the employees of the managed care organization provide respite care or deliver home-
and community-based services to adults or children with developmental disabilities or
physical disabilities or to the elderly;
H. "registry" means an electronic database that provides information on
substantiated employee abuse, neglect or exploitation; and
I. "secretary" means the secretary of health.