2006 Minnesota Statutes

245.97 OMBUDSMAN COMMITTEE.
    Subdivision 1. Membership. The Ombudsman Committee consists of 15 members appointed
by the governor to three-year terms. Members shall be appointed on the basis of their knowledge
of and interest in the health and human services system subject to the ombudsman's authority.
In making the appointments, the governor shall try to ensure that the overall membership of the
committee adequately reflects the agencies, facilities, and programs within the ombudsman's
authority and that members include consumer representatives, including clients, former clients,
and relatives of present or former clients; representatives of advocacy organizations for clients
and other individuals served by an agency, facility, or program; human services and health care
professionals, including specialists in psychiatry, psychology, internal medicine, and forensic
pathology; and other providers of services or treatment to clients.
    Subd. 2. Compensation; chair. Members do not receive compensation, but are entitled to
receive reimbursement for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred. The governor shall
designate one member of the committee to serve as its chair at the pleasure of the governor.
    Subd. 3. Meetings. The committee shall meet at least four times a year at the request of
its chair or the ombudsman.
    Subd. 4. Duties. The committee shall advise and assist the ombudsman in selecting matters
for attention; developing policies, plans, and programs to carry out the ombudsman's functions
and powers; and making reports and recommendations for changes designed to improve standards
of competence, efficiency, justice, and protection of rights. The committee shall function as an
advisory body.
    Subd. 5. Medical Review Subcommittee. At least five members of the committee, including
at least three physicians, one of whom is a psychiatrist, must be designated by the governor to
serve as a Medical Review Subcommittee. Terms of service, vacancies, and compensation are
governed by subdivision 2. The governor shall designate one of the members to serve as chair of
the subcommittee. The Medical Review Subcommittee may:
(1) make a preliminary determination of whether the death of a client that has been brought
to its attention is unusual or reasonably appears to have resulted from causes other than natural
causes and warrants investigation;
(2) review the causes of and circumstances surrounding the death;
(3) request the county coroner or medical examiner to conduct an autopsy;
(4) assist an agency in its investigations of unusual deaths and deaths from causes other
than natural causes; and
(5) submit a report regarding the death of a client to the committee, the ombudsman, the
client's next-of-kin, and the facility where the death occurred and, where appropriate, make
recommendations to prevent recurrence of similar deaths to the head of each affected agency
or facility.
    Subd. 6. Terms, compensation, and removal. The membership terms, compensation, and
removal of members of the committee and the filling of membership vacancies are governed
by section 15.0575.
History: 1987 c 352 s 8; 1988 c 543 s 10; 1988 c 629 s 46; 1993 c 286 s 26; 1996 c 451 art
6 s 5