2014 Minnesota Statutes

148F.18 ASSESSMENTS; TESTS; REPORTS.

Subdivision 1.Assessments.

Providers who conduct assessments of individuals shall base their assessments on records, information, observations, and techniques sufficient to substantiate their findings. They shall render opinions only after they have conducted an examination of the individual adequate to support their statements or conclusions, unless an examination is not practical despite reasonable efforts. An assessment may be limited to reviewing records or providing testing services when an individual examination is not necessary for the opinion requested.

Subd. 2.Tests.

Providers may administer and interpret tests within the scope of the counselor's training, skill, and competence.

Subd. 3.Reports.

Written and oral reports, including testimony as an expert witness and letters to third parties concerning a client, must be based on information and techniques sufficient to substantiate their findings. Reports must include:

(1) a description of all assessments, evaluations, or other procedures, including materials reviewed, which serve as a basis for the provider's conclusions;

(2) reservations or qualifications concerning the validity or reliability of the opinions and conclusions formulated and recommendations made;

(3) a statement concerning any discrepancy, disagreement, or inconsistent or conflicting information regarding the circumstances of the case that may have a bearing on the provider's conclusions;

(4) a statement of the nature of and reason for the use of a test that is administered, recorded, scored, or interpreted in other than a standard and objective manner; and

(5) a statement indicating when test interpretations or report conclusions are not based on direct contact between the client and the provider.

Subd. 4.Private information.

Test results and interpretations regarding an individual are private information.

History:

2012 c 197 art 2 s 37