Section 0720-25-.01 - DEFINITIONS(1) Abuse. The willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish.(2) Adult. An individual who has capacity and is at least 18 years of age.(3) Advance Directive. An individual instruction or a written statement relating to the subsequent provision of health care for the individual, including, but not limited to, a living will or a durable power of attorney for health care.(4) Agent. An individual designated in an advance directive for health care to make a health care decision for the individual granting the power.(5) Birthing Center. Any institution, facility, place or building devoted exclusively or primarily to the provision of routine delivery services and postpartum care for mothers and their newborn infants.(6) Board. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities.(7) Capacity. An individual's ability to understand the significant benefits, risks, and alternatives to proposed health care and to make and communicate a health care decision. These regulations do not affect the right of a patient to make health care decisions while having the capacity to do so. A patient shall be presumed to have capacity to make a health care decision, to give or revoke an advance directive, and to designate or disqualify a surrogate. Any person who challenges the capacity of a patient shall have the burden of proving lack of capacity.(8) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). The administering of any means or device to restore or support cardiopulmonary functions in a patient, whether by mechanical devices, chest compression, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, cardiac massage, tracheal intubation, manual or mechanical ventilators or respirations, defibrillation, the administration of drugs and/or chemical agents intended to restore cardiac and/or respiratory functions in a patient where cardiac or respiratory arrest has occurred or is believed to be imminent.(9) Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). A registered nurse currently licensed as such by the Tennessee Board of Nursing and certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and qualified to deliver midwifery services.(10) Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). A North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) certified midwife, who must have midwifery skills and experience evaluated and pass written and skills examinations.(11) Commissioner. The Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health or his or her authorized representative.(12) Competent. A patient who has capacity.(13) Department. The Tennessee Department of Health.(14) Designated Physician. A physician designated by an individual or the individual's agent, guardian, or surrogate, to have primary responsibility for the individual's health care or, in the absence of a designation or if the designated physician is not reasonably available, a physician who undertakes such responsibility.(15) Do-Not-Resuscitate Order (DNR). A written order, other than a POST, not to resuscitate a patient in cardiac or respiratory arrest in accordance with accepted medical practices.(16) Emancipated Minor. Any minor who is or has been married or has by court order or otherwise been freed from the care, custody and control of the minor's parents.(17) Emergency Responder. A paid or volunteer firefighter, law enforcement officer, or other public safety official or volunteer acting within the scope of his or her proper function under law or rendering emergency care at the scene of an emergency.(18) Guardian. A judicially appointed guardian or conservator having authority to make a health care decision for an individual.(19) Hazardous Waste. Materials whose handling, use, storage, and disposal are governed by local, state, or federal regulations.(20) Health Care. Any care, treatment, service or procedure to maintain, diagnose, treat, or otherwise affect an individual's physical or mental condition, and includes medical care as defined in T.C.A. § 32-11-103(5).(21) Health Care Decision. Consent, refusal of consent or withdrawal of consent to health care.(22) Health Care Decision-maker. In the case of a patient who lacks capacity, the patient's health care decision-maker is one of the following: the patient's health care agent as specified in an advance directive, the patient's court-appointed guardian or conservator with health care decision-making authority, the patient's surrogate as determined pursuant to Rule 0720-25.12 or T.C.A. § 33-3-220, the designated physician pursuant to these Rules or in the case of a minor child, the person having custody or legal guardianship.(23) Health Care Institution. A health care institution as defined in T.C.A. § 68-11-1602.(24) Health Care Provider. A person who is licensed, certified or otherwise authorized or permitted by the laws of this state to administer health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a profession.(25) Hospital. Any institution, place, building or agency represented and held out to the general public as ready, willing and able to furnish care, accommodations, facilities and equipment for the use, in connection with services of a physician or dentist, of one (1) or more nonrelated persons who may be suffering from deformity. injury or disease or from any other condition for which nursing, medical or surgical services would be appropriate for care, diagnosis or treatment.(26) Incompetent. A patient who has been adjudicated incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction and has not been restored to legal capacity.(27) Individual instruction. An individual's direction concerning a health care decision for the individual.(28) Infectious Waste. Solid or liquid wastes which contain pathogens with sufficient virulence and quantity such that exposure to the waste by a susceptible host could result in an infectious disease.(29) Licensee. The person or body to whom the license is issued. The licensee is held responsible for compliance with all rules and regulations.(30) Life Threatening Or Serious Injury. Injury requiring the patient to undergo significant additional diagnostic or treatment measures.(31) Medical Record. Medical histories, records, reports, summaries, diagnoses, prognoses, records of treatment and medication ordered and given, entries, x-rays, radiology interpretations, and other written electronics, or graphic data prepared, kept, made or maintained in a facility that pertains to confinement or services rendered to patients admitted or receiving care.(32) Medically Inappropriate Treatment. Resuscitation efforts that cannot be expected either to restore cardiac or respiratory function to the patient or other medical or surgical treatments to achieve the expressed goals of the informed patient. In the case of the incompetent patient, the patient's representative expresses the goals of the patient.(33) Member of the Professional Medical Community. A professional employed by the birthing center and on the premises at the time of a voluntary delivery.(34) Misappropriation of Patient/Resident Property. The deliberate misplacement, exploitation or wrongful, temporary or permanent use of an individual's belongings or money without the individual's consent.(35) Neglect. The failure to provide goods and services necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish or mental illness; however, the withholding of authorization for or provision of medical care to any terminally ill person who has executed an irrevocable living will in accordance with the Tennessee Right to Natural Death Law, or other applicable state law, if the provision of such medical care would conflict with the terms of the living will, shall not be deemed "neglect" for purposes of these rules.(36) NFPA. The National Fire Protection Association.(37) Person. An individual, corporation, estate, trust, partnership, association, joint venture, government, governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity.(38) Personally Informing. A communication by any effective means from the patient directly to a health care provider.(39) Physician. An individual authorized to practice medicine or osteopathy under Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapters 6 or 9.(40) Physician Assistant. A person who has graduated from a physician assistant educational program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, has passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, and is currently licensed in Tennessee as a physician assistant under title 63, chapter 19.(41) Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment or POST. Written orders that: (a) Are on a form approved by the Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities;(b) Apply regardless of the treatment setting and that are signed as required herein by the patient's physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist; and(c)1. Specify whether, in the event the patient suffers cardiac or respiratory arrest, cardiopulmonary resuscitation should or should not be attempted;2. Specify other medical interventions that are to be provided or withheld; or(42) Power of Attorney for Health Care. The designation of an agent to make health care decisions for the individual granting the power under T.C.A. Title 34, Chapter 6, Part 2.(43) Qualified Emergency Medical Service Personnel. Includes, but shall not be limited to, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or other emergency services personnel, providers, or entities acting within the usual course of their professions, and other emergency responders.(44) Reasonably Available. Readily able to be contacted without undue effort and willing and able to act in a timely manner considering the urgency of the patient's health care needs. Such availability shall include, but not be limited to, availability by telephone.(45) Routine Delivery Services. Services provided by a physician or a certified professional midwife practicing when these rules become final or a certified nurse midwife related to the normal, uncomplicated prenatal course as determined by adequate prenatal care and prospects for a normal uncomplicated birth as defined by reasonable and generally accepted criteria of maternal and fetal health, promoting a family-centered approach to care and viewing pregnancy and delivery as a normal physiological process requiring limited technological and pharmacological support.(46) Shall or Must. Compliance is mandatory.(47) Stabilize. To provide such medical treatment of the emergency medical condition as may be necessary to assure, within reasonable medical probability, that the condition will not materially deteriorate due to the transfer as determined by a physician or other qualified medical personnel when a physician is not readily available.(48) State. A state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.(49) Student. A person currently enrolled in a course of study that is approved by the appropriate licensing board or equivalent body.(50) Supervising Health Care Provider. The designated physician or, if there is no designated physician or the designated physician is not reasonably available, the health care provider who has undertaken primary responsibility for an individual's health care.(51) Surrogate. An individual, other than a patient's agent or guardian, authorized to make a health care decision for the patient.(52) Transfer. The movement of a patient to a hospital at the direction of a physician or other qualified medical personnel when a physician is not readily available but does not include such movement of a patient who leaves the facility against medical advice.(53) Treating Health Care Provider. A health care provider who at the time is directly or indirectly involved in providing health care to the patient.(54) Voluntary Delivery. The action of a mother in leaving an unharmed infant aged seventy-two (72) hours or younger on the premises of a birthing center with any birthing center employee or member of the professional medical community without expressing any intention to return for such infant, and failing to visit or seek contact with such infant for a period of thirty (30) days thereafter.Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-25-.01
Original rule filed March 31, 1998; effective June 12, 1998. Amendment filed September 17, 2002; effective December 1, 2002. Amendment filed April 11, 2003; effective June 25, 2003. Amendment filed April 28, 2003; effective July 12, 2003. Amendments filed January 3, 2006; effective March 19, 2006. Amendment filed February 7, 2007; effective April 23, 2007. Amendment filed January 3, 2012; effective April 2, 2012. Amendment filed March 27, 2015; effective June 25, 2015. Transferred from chapter 1200-08-24 pursuant to Public Chapter 1119 of 2022 effective7/1/2022.Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-202, 4-5-204, 39-11-106, 68-11-202, 68-11-204, 68-11-206, 68-11-207, 68-11-209, 68-11-210, 68-11-211, 68-11-213, 68-11-224, 68-11-255, and 68-11-1802.