Section 7 AAC 12.990 - DefinitionsIn this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise,
(1) "administrator" means an employee appointed by the governing body to be responsible for the overall operation of a facility;(2) "advanced practice registered nurse" means a person who is authorized to practice as an advanced practice registered nurse under 12 AAC 44.400;(3) "alcoholism" means a chronic and progressive disease characterized by tolerance, physical dependency, or pathological organic changes which are consequences of alcohol ingestion;(4) "ambulatory surgical center" or "ambulatory surgical facility" means a facility described in AS 47.32.900 and 7 AAC 12.350;(5) "anesthesia service" means the administration by authorized personnel of anesthesia of the type and in the manner required by the patient's condition;(6) "anesthesiologist" means a physician who has training and experience in the field of anesthesiology, and is certified or eligible for certification by the American Board of Anesthesiologists, Inc.;(7) "approved laboratory" means a laboratory that is(A) certified by the (i) federal government under the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act of 1967, 42 U.S.C. 263(a) or Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.;(ii) College of American Pathologists; or(iii) Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals; or(B) operated by the department;(8) "birth center" means a free-standing birth center;(9) "bureau of vital statistics" means the bureau of vital statistics within the department;(10) "central service" means a service which provides cleaning, storing, and dispensing of supplies and equipment required for all aspects of patient care, diagnosis, and treatment;(11) "client" has the meaning given in (A)7 AAC 12.349, if the facility is a hospice agency; and(B)7 AAC 12.449, if the facility is a birth center;(12) "commissioner" means the commissioner of health and social services;(13) "completed application" means an application which is complete, signed, and accompanied by the appropriate fee;(14) "controlled substance" means a narcotic drug, a depressant, a hallucinogenic or stimulant drug as set out in the schedules in AS 11.71.140-11.71.190, and any drug subject to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, PL 91-513, as amended;(15) "detoxification" means the process in which a person recovers from intoxication and physiological reactions associated with withdrawal;(16) "dentist" means a person who is licensed as a dentist under AS 08.36;(17) "department" means the Department of Health and Social Services;(18) "dietetic service" means a service which provides nutritionally adequate food to patients;(19) "direct supervision" means the supervisor is present in the same building as the person being supervised and available for consultation or assistance;(20) "dispense" means selecting, measuring, packaging, labeling, and issuing a drug under an appropriate order;(21) "division of public health" means the division of public health, Department of Health and Social Services;(22) "drug administration" means the act in which a single dose of a prescribed drug is given to a patient;(23) "drug room" means an area used exclusively for the storage, preservation, and control of bulk supply drugs;(24) "electroconvulsive therapy" means a form of treatment of mental disorders in which convulsions are produced by the passage of electric current through the brain;(25) "emergency service" means a medical service provided in response to the perceived individual needs of a patient for immediate medical care to prevent the loss of life or the aggravation of a physical or psychological illness or injury;(26) "facility" means a (A) general acute care hospital;(B) specialized hospital;(D) intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded;(E) ambulatory surgical center;(G) mental health center;(I) rural primary care hospital;(J) critical access hospital;(K) long-term acute care hospital; and(L) frontier extended stay clinic;(27) "general acute care hospital" means a facility that provides inpatient hospitalization for medical and surgical care of acute illness or injury, perinatal care, and other services described in 7 AAC 12.105(a);(28) "home health agency" means a facility described in 7 AAC 12.500;(29) "intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded" means a facility described in 7 AAC 12.300;(30) "intermediate nursing care" means nursing care which is provided on a regular basis to persons who do not require hospitalization or skilled nursing care, but who require services above the level of residential care as defined in 7 AAC 43.280, and includes the observation, assessment, and treatment of an individual with a long-term disability whose condition is relatively stable, and care for a person who is nearing recovery and discharge whose condition is relatively stable but who continues to require professional medical or nursing supervision;(31) "investigational drug" means a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use for investigational purposes;(32) "licensed nurse" means a person who is licensed as a professional or practical nurse under AS 08.68;(33) "licensee" means the owner of a licensed facility;(34) "linen" means sheets, pillow cases, towels, washcloths, bed spreads, scrub suits, blankets, and infant diapers, bands, and shirts;(35) "long-term care service" means a service which provides long-term nursing and other supportive care;(36) "medical asepsis" means the practice of techniques which reduce the level of microorganismic presence to reduce a risk of infection;(37) "medical record service" means a service which maintains medical records;(38) "medical service" means preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic measures performed by or at the direction of a physician;(39) "medical staff" means physicians and other medical practitioners appointed by the governing body to practice within medical staff bylaws adopted under 7 AAC 12.110(b), 7 AAC 12.210(b), and 7 AAC 12.465(b);(40) "mental illness" means an organic, mental, or emotional impairment that has substantial adverse effects on an individual's ability to exercise conscious control of his actions or ability to perceive reality or to reason or understand; mental retardation, epilepsy, drug addiction, and alcoholism do not by themselves constitute mental illness, although persons suffering from these conditions may also be suffering from mental illness;(41) "midwife" means a person who is(A) authorized to practice as an advanced practice registered nurse under 12 AAC 44.400 and who is certified to practice midwifery by a national certification body recognized under 12 AAC 44.420 and 12 AAC 44.430;(B) a direct-entry midwife certified to practice midwifery under 12 AAC 14.100 - 12 AAC 14.120; or(C) an apprentice who meets the requirements of 12 AAC 14.130 and is supervised as provided under 12 AAC 14.220;(42) "nursing home" means a facility described in 7 AAC 12.250;(43) "nursing service" means the provision of direct and extended care to patients by professional and nonprofessional personnel under the supervision of a registered nurse;(44) "nursing staff" means the licensed nurses, nurse's aides, and orderlies employed by a facility;(45) "occupational therapist" means a person who is a graduate of an occupational therapy program which is approved by a nationally recognized accrediting body, or who holds a current certificate as a registered occupational therapist, from the American Occupational Therapy Association;(46) "outpatient service" means a service which provides nonemergency health care to patients who remain in the facility less than 24 hours;(47) "patient" means a person who is receiving diagnostic, therapeutic or preventive health services or who is under observation or treatment for illness or injury, or care during and after pregnancy in a facility other than a birth center;(48) "patient-care personnel" means persons who provide direct patient-care services, including physicians, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, rehabilitative professionals, aides, and orderlies;(49) "patient-teaching" means instruction of a patient in diet, medication, exercise, and other therapeutic measures to be taken by the patient upon discharge;(50) "perinatal service" means a service which provides medical care during pregnancy, labor, delivery, postpartum, and neonatal periods;(51) "pharmaceutical service" means a service which procures, stores, manufactures, compounds, dispenses, distributes, and administers drugs and includes the provision of pharmaceutical information to health professionals and patients;(52) "pharmacist" means a person who is registered as a pharmacist under AS 08.80;(53) "pharmacy" means an area in a hospital where drugs are stored, compounded, and dispensed;(54) "physical plant" means the building and grounds of a facility;(55) "physical restraint" means a mechanical device used to control a patient's physical activity in order to protect the patient or others from injury;(56) "physical therapist" means a person who is licensed as a physical therapist under AS 08.84;(57) "physical therapy assistant" means a person who is licensed as a physical therapy assistant under AS 08.84;(58) "physical therapy service" means a service which provides physical therapy within the meaning of AS 08.84.190(3);(59) "physician" means a person who is licensed as a doctor of medicine or osteopathy under AS 08.64;(60) "physician assistant" means a person who is authorized to act as a physician assistant under AS 08.64.107;(61) "progress note" means a written and dated notation by a member of the clinical staff which shows the care provided a patient and the response to that treatment for a stated period of time;(62) "psychiatric service" means a service which provides inpatient or outpatient care for patients with mental disorders;(63) "psychiatrist" means a person who is licensed as a doctor of medicine under AS 08.64 and who has specialized training in psychiatry or is certified by the Board of Psychiatry and Neurology;(64) "psychological service" means a service offered by a psychologist, social worker, or other appropriate practitioner which provides therapeutic treatment of mental or emotional disorders or substance abuse;(65) "psychologist" means a person who is licensed as a psychologist under AS 08.86;(66) "radiation therapist" means a person who is a physician who applies x-radiation, the ionizing radiation emitted from particle accelerators, or sealed sources of radioactive material to persons for therapeutic purposes;(67) "radiological service" means a service which provides x-ray or other external ionizing radiation for the detection, diagnosis, or treatment of human illness or injury;(68) "radiologist" means a person who is a specialist in the branch of medical science which deals with the use of radiant energy in diagnosis and treatment of disease;(69) "recreational therapy" means a program of treatment for patients with physical or mental disabilities which includes adaptive sports, dramatics, social activities, arts and crafts, or other similar activities;(70) "registered dietitian" means a person who is authorized by the Commission on Dietetic Registration to use the title Registered Dietitian (R.D.);(71) "registered nurse" means a person who is licensed to practice professional nursing under AS 08.68;(72) "registered nurse anesthetist" means a person who is authorized to practice as a "nurse anesthetist" as defined in AS 08.68.850(7);(73) "respiratory therapy service" means a service which provides diagnostic evaluation, treatment, management, and monitoring of patients with deficiencies or abnormalities of cardiopulmonary functions;(74) "scheduled drug" means a narcotic drug, a depressant, a hallucinogenic, or stimulant drug as set out in the schedules in AS 11.71.140-11.71.190, and any drug subject to the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, PL 91-513, as amended;(75) "seclusion room" means a room specifically designed and organized to provide for temporary placement, care, and observation of a single patient with minimal sensory stimuli, maximum security and protection, and visual access to the patient by authorized persons;(76) "skilled care" or "skilled nursing care" means nursing care at the level described in 7 AAC 43.180;(77) "social worker" means an individual who has obtained a master's degree in social work from a school that is accredited or recognized by the Council on Social Work Education;(78) "social work service" means a service which assists staff, patients, and patient's families to understand and cope with emotional and social problems associated with health care;(79) "specialized hospital" means a facility described in 7 AAC 12.200;(80) "speech pathologist" means a person who is eligible for a Certificate of Clinical Competency granted by the American Speech and Hearing Association, or who meets the educational requirements for that certificate and is currently accumulating the experience required for certification;(81) "substance abuse" means frequent habitual consumption of damaging or potentially damaging chemical substances, including alcohol, which adversely affect the cognitive function;(83) "surgical service" means the performance of surgical procedures with the appropriate staff, space, equipment and supplies in a specially designated area;(84) "surgical suite" means an area that is designated for and restricted to the purpose of performance of surgical procedures;(85) "interdisciplinary team" means the team described in(A)42 C.F.R. 483.20(d)(2)(ii), revised as of October 1, 1991, if the facility is a nursing facility; and(B)7 AAC 12.327, if the facility is a hospice agency;(86) "mid-level practitioner" means the following health professionals authorized to practice under AS 08: (B) advanced practice registered nurse;(87) "rural primary care hospital" means a facility that has been determined by the department to meet the requirements of 7 AAC 12.102;(88) "critical access hospital" means a facility that has been determined by the department to meet the requirements of 7 AAC 12.104 or that has been certified as a critical access hospital under 42 C.F.R. 485.601- 42 C.F.R. 485.645;(89) "critical care service" means a hospital service that provides specialized medical and nursing care to patients who are critically ill;(90) "short-term hospitalization" means hospitalization for a period that does not exceed, as determined on an annual, average basis, 96 hours per patient;(91) "long-term acute care hospital" means a hospital that provides long-term inpatient hospitalization for medical care of acute illness or injury and the services described in 7 AAC 12.105(c);(92) "community health center" means a facility or clinic providing outpatient services (A) for the prevention or diagnosis of illness, or the care and treatment of emergency illnesses or injured patients; and(B) that are provided principally for persons residing in an area of the state in or near which the facility or clinic is situated;(93) "credentialing" means the formal process, conducted by the medical staff of an entity, to delineate the privileges of, and evaluate the professional and technical competence of, an individual practitioner to provide specified levels of patient care, for the purpose of determining, based on criteria established by law and by the entity's bylaws, whether the individual is qualified for initial appointment to, or for continuing membership with, the entity's medical staff;(94) "federally qualified health center" means a facility that has been determined by the department to meet the requirements of 7 AAC 43.870;(95) "frontier extended stay clinic" has the meaning given in AS 47.32.900;(96) "governing body" means the entity that establishes policy and is legally responsible for the overall operation of a facility;(97) "hospital" has the meaning given in AS 47.32.900;(98) "laboratory" means a facility for the biological, microbiological, serological, chemical, immunohematological, hematological, biophysical, cytological, pathological, or other examination of materials derived from the human body for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any disease or impairment of, or the assessment of the health of, human beings; in this paragraph, "examination" includes procedures to determine, measure, or otherwise describe the presence or absence of various substances or organisms in the body; "laboratory" does not include a facility that only (A) collects or prepares specimens without examination; or(B) serves as a mailing service and does not perform examinations;(99) "licensed practical nurse" means a person who is licensed under AS 08 for the practice of practical nursing within the meaning given in AS 08.68.850;(100) "practitioner" means a health care provider licensed under AS 08 who provides, prescribes, and oversees the health care services and medical services provided to patients in a health facility licensed under AS 47.32 and this chapter within the authorization, course, and scope of that provider's license, practice, and privileges;(101) "rural health clinic" has the meaning given in AS 47.32.900; "rural health clinic" includes a community health center and a federally qualified health center under 7 AAC 43.870;(102) "standing order" means a written order stipulating a specific treatment approach for patients who meet certain criteria or have a specific medical condition, thus eliminating the need for individual physician's orders for those patients, unless otherwise indicated;(103) "hospice agency" means a (A) program that primarily provides hospice services where a client lives or stays, that uses designated staff time and facility services, and that is distinct from other programs; or(B) place, including a freestanding structure or a separate part of a structure in which other services are provided, that primarily provides hospice services and a place of residence for clients;(104) "free-standing birth center" has the meaning given in AS 47.32.900.Eff. 11/19/83, Register 88; am 5/28/92, Register 122; am 5/4/97, Register 142; am 9/1/2000, Register 155; am 6/23/2006, Register 179; am 12/3/2006, Register 180; am 5/24/2007, Register 182; am 9/30/2007, Register 183; am 7/29/2011, Register 199; am 5/14/2021, Register 238, July 2021; am 3/17/2022, Register 241, April 2022 Authority:AS 18.05.040
AS 47.32.010
AS 47.32.030