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ADMH-DDD Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS) Manual (Directive 23-DD-03), rev. 11/01/2023 — Critical Incident Reporting; see also Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05 (Abuse/Neglect/Mistreatment/Exploitation)

AlabamaregulationAlabama Department of Mental Health, Division of Developmental Disabilities (ADMH-DDD)

What this rule requires your agency to do

  • 1The provider must treat any unplanned occurrence that has the potential to affect the health, safety, or welfare of a waiver participant as a reportable critical incident (including abuse, neglect, exploitation, assault, falls, choking, seizures, medication errors, restraint use, AWOL/missing persons, fires, hospitalizations, ER visits, law-enforcement involvement, and deaths). (ADMH-DDD IPMS Manual (23-DD-03))(ADMH-DDD Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS) Manual (Directive 23-DD-03), rev. 11/01/2023 — Critical Incident Reporting; see also Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05 (Abu)
  • 2The provider must conduct a formal investigation of suspected abuse, neglect, mistreatment, and exploitation incidents and document the investigation, findings, and recommendations in a General Event Report Resolution (GERR) using the Therap system. (ADMH-DDD IPMS Manual (23-DD-03))(ADMH-DDD Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS) Manual (Directive 23-DD-03), rev. 11/01/2023 — Critical Incident Reporting; see also Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05 (Abu)
  • 3The provider must report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation to the Department of Human Resources (DHR) within 1 hour after the occurrence or discovery of the incident. (ADMH-DDD IPMS Manual (23-DD-03))(ADMH-DDD Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS) Manual (Directive 23-DD-03), rev. 11/01/2023 — Critical Incident Reporting; see also Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05 (Abu)
  • 4The provider must ensure that all certified community providers, support coordinators, and their staff act as mandatory reporters of all critical incidents involving a waiver participant, regardless of where the incident occurred. (ADMH-DDD IPMS Manual (23-DD-03))(ADMH-DDD Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS) Manual (Directive 23-DD-03), rev. 11/01/2023 — Critical Incident Reporting; see also Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05 (Abu)
  • 5The DDD-certified community agency must maintain an Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS) to protect individuals from potential harm as a condition of certification. (Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05)(Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05)
  • 6The provider must notify the participant's family or guardian of a critical incident no later than 24 hours after the incident. (ADMH-DDD IPMS Manual (23-DD-03))(ADMH-DDD Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS) Manual (Directive 23-DD-03), rev. 11/01/2023 — Critical Incident Reporting; see also Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05 (Abu)
  • 7The provider must report critical incidents to the Regional Community Services (RCS) office within the tiered timeframes (within 1 hour for higher-severity Level 3-4 incidents; within 24 hours for Level 1-2 incidents). (ADMH-DDD IPMS Manual (23-DD-03))(ADMH-DDD Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS) Manual (Directive 23-DD-03), rev. 11/01/2023 — Critical Incident Reporting; see also Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05 (Abu)

Applies to: Home and community-based services (community residential and day habilitation providers, support coordinators, and their staff)

Under the ADMH-DDD Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS), all certified DDD community providers, support coordinators, and staff serving Medicaid HCBS waiver participants are mandatory reporters of critical incidents (abuse, neglect, exploitation, assault, falls, choking, seizures, medication errors, restraint use, AWOL/missing, hospitalization/ER visits, law-enforcement involvement, and deaths). The manual sets tiered notification timeframes and requires formal investigation and documentation in the Therap system. It operationalizes Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-5-30-.05, which requires DDD-certified community agencies to maintain an incident prevention and management system.

Regulatory information, not legal advice — always confirm against the cited official source. Verification reduces error; it does not certify compliance.