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Oklahoma Administrative Code (Last Updated: March 11, 2021) |
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TITLE 310. Oklahoma State Department of Health |
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Chapter 641. Emergency Medical Services |
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Subchapter 1. General EMS Programs |
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Part 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS |
SECTION 310:641-1-7. Definitions
Latest version.
- The following words and terms, when used in this Chapter, shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:"ACLS" means Advanced Cardiac Life Support."Act" means the "Oklahoma Emergency Response Systems Development Act"."Advanced Emergency Medical Technician" means an AEMT as licensed pursuant to the Act or this chapter."Advanced Life Support (ALS) Emergency Medical Services Training Program" means an organization approved by the Department to conduct the following ALS training: Emergency Medical Responder, Emergency Medical Responder Refresher, Emergency Medical Technician, Emergency Medical Technician Refresher, Advanced Emergency Medical Technician, Advanced Emergency Medical Technician Refresher, Intermediate Refresher, Paramedic, Paramedic Refresher, Continuing Education at the Intermediate and Paramedic Levels, and such other courses of instruction that may be designated by the Department."Agency" means a Ground Ambulance Service, Specialty Care Ambulance Service, Stretcher Van Service, Air Ambulance Service, or Emergency Medical Response Agency."AHA" means the American Heart Association."Ambulance" means any ground, air or water vehicle which is or should be approved by the Commissioner of Health, designed and equipped to transport a patient or patients and to provide appropriate on-scene and en route patient stabilization and care as required. Vehicles used as ambulances shall meet such standards as may be required by the State Board of health for approval, and shall display evidence of such approval at all times. [Title 63 O.S. Section 1-2503]."AMLS" means Advanced Medical Life Support."ATLS" means Advanced Trauma Life Support."Base Station" means the primary location from which ambulances and crews respond to emergency calls on a twenty-four (24) hour basis. The Base Station may include the principal business office, living quarters for personnel, training institution, and/or communications center."Basic Life Support (BLS) Emergency Medical Services Training Program" means an organization approved by the Department to conduct the following BLS training: Emergency Medical Responder, Emergency Medical Responder Refresher, Emergency Medical Technician Basic, Emergency Medical Technician Basic Refresher, Continuing Education at the Emergency Medical Technician Basic level, and such other courses of instruction that may be designated by the Department."BLS" means Basic Life Support, and includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and utilization of Semi-Automated Advisory Defibrillator (SAAD)."BTLS" means Basic Trauma Life Support."Board" means the State Board of Health."Call Log" means a summary of all requests for service that an agency receives, regardless of disposition."Call Received" means that a call has been received by an agency when enough information has been received to begin responding to a request for service."Certificate" means any certification or certificate issued by the Department, pursuant to the Act or this Chapter."Clinical Coordinator" means the individual designated in writing by a training program as responsible for coordination and supervision of clinical experiences."Clinical Experience" means all supervised learning experiences required and included as part of a training course in which the student provides or observes direct patient care. This includes vehicular experiences with a licensed ambulance service."Council" means the Oklahoma Trauma and Emergency Response Advisory Council."Critical Care Paramedic" means an Oklahoma licensed Paramedic that has received additional training to provide specialized care to patients during interfacility transfers and has provided his or her registration information to the Department."Department" means the State Department of Health."Distance Learning" is instruction of didactic portions of curriculum which requires participation of the instructor and students but does not require the students to be physically present in the same location as the instructor."Distributive Education" means educational activity, in which the learner, the instructor, and the educational materials are not all present in the same place at the same time, e.g., continuing education activities that are offered on the Internet, via CD ROM or video, or through journal articles or audio tapes."Documents, Records, or Copies" means an electronic or paper copy maintained at the agency, on units, or provided to receiving facilities."DOT" means the United States Department of Transportation."Division" means the Emergency Medical Services Division."Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD)" means a person trained using a Department-approved curriculum for the management of calls for emergency medical care."Emergency Medical Personnel" means all certified and licensed personnel which provide emergency medical care for an ambulance service."Emergency Medical Responder" means a person who has successfully completed a state-approved course using the national standard Emergency Medical Responder curriculum and passed a competency- based examination from a state approved testing agency such as the National Registry of EMTs."Emergency Medical Response Agency" or "EMRA" means a person, company, or governmental entity that will utilize certified or licensed emergency medical personnel to provide emergency care but does not transport or transfer patients to a facility. The Department will provide two types of certification.(A) Pre-hospital EMRAs will operate as part of an Emergency Medical System, responding to requests for service within a response area, supporting and being supported by a licensed ambulance service.(B) Event Stand-by EMRAs will operate or contract for on-site medical care at locations that are open to the public or that will respond to the public. These types of EMRAs are certified to standby at a location or site and provide medical care to the public."EMS" means Emergency Medical Services."Emergency Medical System" means a network of hospitals, different ambulance services, and other healthcare providers that exist in the state."Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)" means an individual licensed by the Department as an Emergency Medical Technician, formerly known as an EMT-B or Basic."Emergency transfer" means the movement of an acutely ill or injured patient from the scene to a health care facility (pre-hospital), or the movement of an acutely ill or injured patient from one health care facility to another health care facility (interfacility)."Emergency Vehicle Operators Course" means a course that is meant to improve existing driving skills and familiarize an emergency vehicle operator or driver with the unique characteristics of driving emergency vehicles."En route Time" means the elapsed time from the time the emergency call is received by the EMS agency until the ambulance and complete crew is en route to the scene of the emergency."FDA Class One Device" means a device that is not life-supporting or life-sustaining and does not present a reasonable source of injury through normal usage. In the regulatory context, this applies to the stretcher/gurney and its locking system within the unit or vehicle."Ground ambulance service" means an ambulance service licensed at the basic, intermediate, advanced or paramedic life support level as provided in Subchapter 3. It does not mean a specialty care service licensed pursuant to Subchapter 11 or a stretcher van service licensed pursuant to Subchapter 17."Initial Certification or Initial Licensure" means the first certification or license that an applicant receives after an initial course, or the license or certification an applicant receives after the previous license or certification expired."Intermediate" means an Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate as licensed pursuant to the Act or this chapter."Instructor" means a Department approved instructor that provides instruction for initial courses, but may also teach refresher and continuing education courses."Lapse in Medical Direction" means the Medical Director for an agency has not been accessible to the agency for a period of time as detailed with the agency's policies and agreement."License" means any license issued by the Department, pursuant to the Act or this Chapter."Licensed Service Area" means the contiguous geographical area identified in an initial ambulance service application or in an amendment to an existing license. The geographic area is identified by the application and supported with documents provided by the local governmental jurisdictions. For ground ambulance services, this is the geographic area the ambulance service has a duty to act within."Medical Control Physician or Medical Director" means the licensed physician (M.D. or D.O.) that authorizes certified or licensed emergency medical personnel to perform procedures and interventions detailed in the agency's approved protocols."NHTSA" means National Highway Traffic Safety Administration."National Registry" means the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), Columbus, Ohio."Non-emergency transfer" means the movement of any patient in an ambulance other than an emergency transfer."PALS" means Pediatric Advanced Life Support."Patient" means the person who requests assistance or the person for whom assistance is being requested from an agency."Paramedic" means an individual licensed by the Department as a Paramedic, formerly known as an EMT-P."PEPP" means Pediatric Education for the Prehospital Professional."PHTLS" means Prehospital Trauma Life Support."PIC" means Pilot in Command."PPC" means Prehospital Pediatric Care."Post" means a location where an ambulance may be positioned for an unspecified period of time while awaiting dispatch."Preceptor" means an individual with education, experience, and expertise in healthcare and approved by a training program to supervise and provide instruction to EMS students during clinical experiences."Program Administrator" means the individual designated in writing by a training program as responsible for all aspects of EMS training."Program Coordinator" means the individual designated in writing by a training program as responsible for all aspects of a specified course(s) or EMS program. This individual shall have at least two (2) years experience of full-time equivalent employment as a healthcare practitioner."Response time" means the time from which a call is received by the EMS agency until the time the ambulance and complete crew arrives at the scene, unless the call is scheduled in advance."State Interoperability Governing Body" or "SIGB" means the formal group of public safety officials from across the State working with the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security to improve communication interoperability."Semi-Automated Advisory Defibrillator" or "SAAD" means a defibrillator that is part of the Basic Life Support curriculum and is also known as Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and Semi-Automated External Defibrillator (SAED)."Specialty Care Transports" or (SCT) means interfacility transfers of critically ill or injured patients by an agency with the provision of medically necessary supplies and equipment, above the level of care of the Paramedic. SCT is necessary when a patient's condition requires ongoing care that must be provided by one or more healthcare providers in an appropriate specialty area. Examples include emergency or critical care nursing, emergency medicine, respiratory care, cardiovascular care, or a Paramedic with additional training in IV infusions including vasopressors, vasoactive compounds, antiarrhythmics, fibrinolytics, tocolytics, and/or any other parenteral pharmaceutical unique to the patient's special health care needs or special monitors or procedures such as mechanical ventilation, multiple monitors, cardiac balloon pump, external cardiac support (ventricular assist devices, etc.), or any other specialized device or procedure outside the Paramedic scope of practice certified by the referring physician as unique to the patient's health care needs."Statewide Ambulance coverage area" means a map of all ambulance response areas, maintained by the Department."State Designated Resource Status Reporting and Communication Tool" means the electronic system utilized to communicate in near real time status of the emergency medical system."Stretcher van" means any ground vehicle which is or should be approved by the State Commissioner of Health, which is designed and equipped to transport individuals on a stretcher or gurney type apparatus [Title 63 O.S. Section 1-2503 (25)]."Stretcher van passenger" means any person who is or will be transported in a reclining position on a stretcher or gurney, who is medically stable, nonemergent and does not require any medical monitoring equipment or assistance during transport [Title 63 O.S. Section 1-2503 (26)]."Substation" means a permanent structure where an ambulance(s) is/are stationed and available for calls on a twenty-four (24) hour basis."Tax Hold" means an individual with an Oklahoma certification or license who is not in compliance with Title 68 O.S. Section 238.1 and the Oklahoma Administrative Code 710:95-9 as it pertains to professional licensing compliance."Title 47" means the Oklahoma Motor Vehicle statutes."Training" means that education which is received through training programs as authorized by emergency medical services rule for training programs (Subchapter 7 of this Chapter)."Training Manager" means an instructor or manager that provides or oversees the training that occurs at an agency, such as continuing education or refresher courses."Transfer" means the movement of a patient in an ambulance."Trauma transfer and referral center" means an organization certified by the Department and staffed and equipped for the purpose of directing trauma patient transfers within a region that consists of a county with a population of three hundred thousand (300,000) or more and its contiguous communities, and facilitating the transfer of trauma patients into and out of the region for definitive trauma care at medical facilities that have the capacity and capability to appropriately care for the emergent medical needs of the patient.