La. Admin. Code tit. 48 § I-6071

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section I-6071 - General Provisions

A. All ambulance services/providers whose aircraft are utilized as air ambulances shall provide the department with copies of the air ambulances' FAA certificate of registrations and certificate of air worthiness. Upon request, the ambulance service/provider shall make their maintenance logs available to the department.

B. Certifications of all air ambulance personnel shall meet FAA requirements and local pilot and medical personnel staffing protocols.

C. All air ambulances shall be equipped with the safety equipment required by the FAA and shall be maintained and remain operable.

D. In accordance with R.S. 40:1135.8 et seq., all air ambulances shall be equipped with the medical and safety equipment established under rules promulgated by the Department of Health and based upon the recommendations of an advisory committee. The medical and safety equipment shall conform to local protocol as established by the medical director of the air ambulance service/ provider.

E. Air ambulances shall carry the medical equipment that is mandated to them in the protocol by the ambulance service/provider medical director and approved by the ambulance service/provider governing body and, at a minimum, the medical equipment and supplies equivalent to such required by ground ambulance transportation.

F. All air ambulance services shall carry advanced life support equipment and medical supplies dependent on the level of licensure of personnel (paramedic level) and as determined by the ambulance service/provider medical director and governing body who have developed policies and procedures to maintain, update, or delete certain advanced life support equipment and medical supplies as medically indicated or contraindicated for their service area and have documentation available to support the determination.

G. All air ambulances shall be staffed to the advanced life support (paramedic) level. The paramedic(s) and each member of the flight team are each responsible to ensure that equipment and supplies are readily available and operable, as appropriate, for each flight service run to meet the needs of the patients served.

H. All air ambulances shall have a thermometer mounted inside the cabin. Cabin temperatures must be in the range of 50-95 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Mitigation measures must be documented for when the cabin temperatures are outside this range and the outcomes of these mitigation measures must be documented when the temperature falls outside this range.

I. If a service provides inter-hospital air transport, air transport from hospital to another facility, air transport from hospital to home, or similar air transport, the service must certify that a medical director is employed to advise the service on the appropriate staffing, equipment, and supplies to be used for the transport of patients aboard an air ambulance.

J. Provisions in this section shall not be construed to prohibit, limit, or regulate random mercy flights made by a person or corporation in privately or publically owned aircraft who may on occasion transport individuals who may need medical attention during transport, or human organs intended for transplantation including, but not limited to the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and other soft tissue and bones, on either a not-for-profit basis or gratuitously.

La. Admin. Code tit. 48, § I-6071

Promulgated by the Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, LR 49898 (5/1/2023).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 36:254 and R.S. 40:1135.1 and R.S. 40:1135.2.