Ala. Admin. Code r. 420-2-3-.01

Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 1, October 31, 2024

Section 420-2-3-.01 - General

(1) Definitions.

(a) "Alabama Trauma Communications Center (ATCC)" - A central communication facility with the capability to constantly communicate with all pre-hospital providers and hospitals that have been designated by the Department as trauma/stroke/cardiac centers. The ATCC's capabilities include the ability to immediately and directly link the pre-hospital providers to these centers.

(b) "Board" - The Board of Health of the State of Alabama as defined by § 22-2-1, Code of Ala. 1975, or the State Health Officer, or his or her designee, when acting for the Board.

(c) "Council" - The Statewide Trauma and Health Care Center Advisory Council.

(d) "Department" - The Alabama Department of Public Health.

(e) "Designated Stroke Center" - A hospital that has met all the standards for stroke center designation as set out in these rules and that has been certified by the Department.

(f) "Designation" - A formal determination by the Department that a hospital is capable of providing designated stroke care.

(g) "Emergency Medical Service Personnel (EMSP)" -All recognized National Highway Traffic Safety Administration levels of personnel licensed by the Board, who have met all primary and/or renewal educational requirements of the emergency medical services (EMS) rules, and are allowed to provide medical care within the level of their scope of practice granted by the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS).

(h) "Hospital" - A health institution planned, organized, and maintained for offering to the public, facilities and beds for use in the diagnosis and treatment of patients requiring in-patient medical care, out-patient medical care, or other care performed by or under the supervision of physicians due to illness, disease, injury, deformity, abnormality, or pregnancy.

(i) "Hospital Stroke Patient" - A hospital patient who meets stroke system entry criteria and is entered into the stroke system by calling the ATCC and obtaining a unique identification number.

(j) "Pre-Hospital Stroke Patient" - A pre-hospital patient who meets stroke system entry criteria and is entered into the stroke system by calling the ATCC and obtaining a unique identification number.

(k) "Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement (QA/QI)" -The process to document and foster continuous improvement in performances and the quality of patient care. In addition, it assists the Department in defining standards, evaluating methodologies, and utilizing evaluation results from continued system improvement. Materials prepared during the QA/QI process are confidential and privileged as provided in Sections 6-5-333, 22-21-8, and 34-24-58, Code of Ala. 1975.

(l) "Regional Agency" - A contractor located in a specific geographic area of the state that provides services specified in a contract. These agencies have no regulatory authority other than that conferred by the OEMS.

(m) "Regional Councils" - The regional advisory councils.

(n) "Regions" - The stroke care regions.

(o) "Registry" - The Statewide Stroke Registry.

(2) Stroke Care Regions. A map indicating the Stroke Care Regions is available at www.alabamapublichealth.gov. The Stroke Care Regions will be the same as the EMS Regions as approved by the Board.

(3) Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement. The Department shall develop guidelines for the state and regional level stroke staff regarding QA/QI activities.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 420-2-3-.01

Adopted by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XXXV, Issue No. 11, August 31, 2017, eff. 9/30/2017.

Adopted by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XL, Issue No. 04, January 31, 2022, eff. 3/17/2022.

Authors: William Crawford, M.D.; Jamie Gray

Statutory Authority:Code of Ala. 1975, § 22-11D-1, et seq.