SECTION 310:667-40-6. Medical and professional staff

(a)   General. The EH shall have an organized medical and professional staff responsible for the quality of care provided to all patients. The staff shall operate under bylaws approved by the governing body. The medical and professional staff may function as a part of an affiliated hospital's organized staff as long as individual physician and practitioner privileges are independently recommended and approved by the EH governing body. If staff functions are combined with an affiliated hospital, EH functions required by the medical and professional staff bylaws shall be independently identified and reviewed during combined staff meetings.

(b)   Composition. The EH shall have a medical and professional staff composed of one (1) or more physicians or licensed independent practitioners. Privileges may also be extended to other health care professionals who are authorized by state law to provide treatment services.

(1)   The staff shall periodically reexamine credentials and conduct appraisals of its members and make recommendations regarding reappointments and privilege delineations to the governing body. The staff shall also examine credentials of candidates for staff membership and make recommendations regarding appointments and privileges extended.

(2)   Temporary staff privileges may be extended to physicians and licensed independent practitioners and other professional staff as specified in the medical and professional staff bylaws.

(3)   Patient admission quotas or revenue generation minimums shall not be a condition for appointment or reappointment.

(c)   Organization and accountability. The medical and professional staff shall be well organized and accountable to the governing body for the quality of medical care provided to patients.

(1)   The staff shall be organized and elect officers as required by approved medical staff bylaws.

(2)   The staff shall meet at least quarterly as a committee of the whole to review the quality of medical care provided, fulfill committee functions specified in the staff bylaws, and to consider and recommend actions to the governing body. Meetings may include staff from the affiliated hospitals or other off-site physicians or practitioners who have privileges at the EH and may be conducted by teleconference. Minutes of meetings shall be maintained and available for review at the EH.

(d)   Medical and professional staff bylaws. The medical and professional staff shall adopt and enforce bylaws to carry out their responsibilities. The medical staff bylaws shall:

(1)   Be approved by the governing body.

(2)   Include a statement of the duties and privileges of each category of the medical and professional staff. These categories shall include a category of licensed independent practitioner, and may include a category of supervised practitioner. All physicians and licensed independent practitioners with privileges may admit patients for stabilization or observational care.

(3)   Describe the organization of the medical and professional staff.

(4)   Describe the qualifications for each category of the medical and professional staff.

(5)   Require each inpatient to have a history and physical examination performed no more than thirty (30) days before, or forty-eight (48) hours after, admission by a physician or licensed independent practitioner. The examination shall be approved and signed by the physician or licensed independent practitioner. The approval and signature may be performed electronically or by facsimile.

(6)   When the medical history and physical examination are completed within thirty (30) days before admission, the hospital must ensure that an updated medical record entry documenting an examination for any changes in the patient's condition is completed. A review of the prior history and physical examination or an updated examination must be completed immediately upon admission and documented in the patient's medical record within forty-eight (48) hours.

(7)   Specify the procedure for determining the privileges to be granted to individual physicians and practitioners initially and on reappointment and the process for physicians and practitioners to request these privileges.

(8)   Specify the mechanism to withdraw privileges of staff members and the circumstances when privileges shall be withdrawn.

(9)   Specify the mechanism for appeal of decisions regarding staff membership and privilege delineations.

[Source: Added at 20 Ok Reg 1664, eff 6-12-03; Amended at 24 Ok Reg 1189, eff 4-2-07 (emergency); Amended at 25 Ok Reg 2472, eff 7-11-08]