1. Report by telephone to the Licensing Office at 617-626-8117 as soon as you become aware of the incident.
2. Telephone calls should be followed up with a written incident report faxed to the Licensing Office within 24 hours at 617-626-8167.
* If you are a DMH-operated hospital, community mental health center with inpatient unit, or psychiatric unit within a public health hospital; a DMH-contracted inpatient unit for adults, children or adolescents; or a DMH-licensed intensive residential treatment program for adolescents, you may also be required to report critical incidents under Commissioner's Directive #23. If the directive applies, be sure to follow the instructions in the directive.
Tips:
When an incident is known to have occurred during a hospitalization or within 30 days after discharge, it should be reported on the appropriate form as soon as possible.
If your facility or program is dually licensed by DMH and DPH (e.g. a DMH-licensed psychiatric unit within a DPH-licensed hospital), you may have additional reporting responsibilities for adverse events. If this is the case, revisit the Navigator using the hospital entry.
Resources
Information and forms for hospitals to report incidents includes:
Forms to report under Commissioner’s Directive #23:
Laws: 104 CMR § 32.05
Contact
Department of Mental Health, Central Office
Staniford Street
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-626-8000
TTY: 617-727-9842
Website: Department of Mental Health
We hope these instructions helped you meet this reporting requirement. Be aware that this action may not fulfill all applicable reporting requirements associated with the event.
This document is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute regulatory guidance or legal advice. Links and information in this document may be outdated. The Betsy Lehman Center does not represent or warrant that this information is accurate, complete, or current. For further terms and conditions, see the Terms of Use.