Albuquerque Senior AdvisorLast verified: October 2026
Who regulates senior care in New Mexico?
The New Mexico Health Care Authority licenses and surveys assisted living facilities and nursing homes and runs Turquoise Care, the state's Medicaid program; the Aging and Long-Term Services Department runs the long-term care ombudsman, Adult Protective Services and the Aging and Disability Resource Center.
Licensing moved from the Department of Health to HCA on July 1, 2024, so older material may name the wrong agency.
Which New Mexico rules matter most when choosing assisted living?
Five rules come up on nearly every tour: who the facility may admit and keep, how much notice it must give before discharge or a price change, the staffing minimums by size, the assessment and service plan deadlines, and the extra requirements for a secured memory care unit.
Each has its own guide below, written from the rule text.
Where can you read the New Mexico assisted living rule yourself?
The rule is 8.370.14 NMAC, Assisted Living Facilities for Adults, linked from HCA's health facility regulations page; the version in force was repealed and replaced effective December 23, 2025, so check that any copy you read carries that date.
Nursing homes follow separate state licensing rules plus federal certification requirements.
New Mexico rules guides
- Who licenses assisted living in New Mexico — The New Mexico Health Care Authority now licenses assisted living under 8.370.14 NMAC, rewritten effective December 23, 2025. What changed and what it covers.
- How New Mexico regulates memory care units — What 8.370.14.70 NMAC requires of an assisted living memory care unit: secured doors, outdoor area, awake staff, dementia training, admission diagnosis, disclosure.
- Admission, discharge and notice rules for New Mexico assisted living — Who a New Mexico assisted living facility may not admit or keep, the 15-day termination notice, the 30-day price notice and the exception team under 8.370.14.20 NMAC.
- Staffing ratios, administrator and training rules in New Mexico assisted living — Minimum awake staff by size, overnight staffing table, administrator qualifications and the 16-hour, 12-hour and dementia training requirements in 8.370.14 NMAC.
- Assessments and individual service plans in New Mexico assisted living — The 15-day pre-admission assessment, the 10-day individual service plan, six-month reviews and who must review them under 8.370.14.25-.26 NMAC.
- Surveys, complaints and who to call about a New Mexico facility — How HCA surveys assisted living, where survey reports are posted, and when to call the HCA complaint line, the long-term care ombudsman or Adult Protective Services.
- How nursing homes are licensed and rated in New Mexico — Who licenses New Mexico nursing homes, how CMS Five-Star ratings work, and how the Albuquerque metro's certified nursing homes score.
Who regulates what in New Mexico
| Regulates or runs | Does not | |
|---|---|---|
| HCA Division of Health Improvement | assisted living and nursing home licenses and surveys | advocate for individual residents |
| HCA Medical Assistance (Turquoise Care) | Medicaid payment, including the Community Benefit | license facilities |
| ALTSD | ombudsman, Adult Protective Services, ADRC, Area Agencies on Aging | issue facility licenses |
