Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia
Department 111 - RULES OF DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH
Chapter 111-8 - HEALTHCARE FACILITY REGULATION
Subject 111-8-22 - END STAGE RENAL DISEASE FACILITIES
Rule 111-8-22-.02 - Definitions

(a) Applicant means a person, business entity, corporation, partnership or association applying for a license to operate an end stage renal disease facility in Georgia;

(b) Department means the Department of Community Health of the state of Georgia;

(c) Dialysis means a process by which dissolved substances are removed from a patient's body by diffusion, osmosis, and convection (ultrafiltration) from one fluid compartment to another across a semi-permeable membrane;

(d) Dialysis technician means an individual who is not a registered nurse or physician and who provides dialysis care under the supervision of a registered nurse or physician;

(e) End stage renal disease means that stage of renal impairment that appears irreversible and permanent and that requires a regular course of dialysis or kidney transplantation to maintain life;

(f) End stage renal disease facility means a facility that provides dialysis treatment, home dialysis training, and support services, or any combination of such services, to individuals with end stage renal disease;

(g) Equipment technician means an individual who performs the required tasks for the maintenance, monitoring, and repair of dialysis, reuse processing, and water treatment systems and equipment at the facility;

(h) Facility means an end stage renal disease facility;

(i) Healthcare personnel means any person providing healthcare services directly to patients at the facility, including but not limited to the provision of medical or nursing care;

(j) Initial license means the first license issued by the Department for a particular end-stage renal disease facility, with subsequent licenses requiring review for renewal;

(k) Nurse responsible for nursing services means the Georgia licensed registered nurse who has at least 12 months of experience in clinical nursing, and an additional 6 months of experience in nursing care of the patient with permanent kidney failure or undergoing kidney transplantation, including training in and experience with the dialysis process or has 18 months of experience in nursing care of the patient on maintenance dialysis, or the nursing care of the patient with a kidney transplant, including training in and experience with the dialysis process. Where the nurse responsible for nursing services is also in charge of self-care dialysis training, at least 3 months of the total required dialysis experience is in training patients in self-care;

(l) Physician means an individual who is licensed to practice medicine in Georgia under O.C.G.A. Chapter 43-34;

(m) Preceptor means an individual who provides direct supervision of the provision of patient care by trainees who are in the process of completing training as dialysis technicians, and who:

(n) Reuse technician means an individual who is not a registered nurse or licensed physician who performs the procedures necessary to clean and properly prepare kidney dialyzers for use for multiple treatments;

(o) Special purpose facility means an end stage renal dialysis facility providing dialysis services at special locations on a short-term basis to a group of dialysis patients who would otherwise be unable to obtain treatment in that special location; and

(p) Temporary provisional license means a license to provide end stage renal care for patients for a limited time period, not to exceed six months.