New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 7 - HEALTH
Chapter 27 - EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
Part 10 - CERTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AGENCIES
Section 7.27.10.7 - DEFINITIONS
Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. "Air ambulance service" means any governmental or private service that provides air transportation specifically designed to accommodate the medical needs of a person who is ill, injured or otherwise mentally or physically incapacitated and who requires in-flight medical supervision.
B. "Applicant" means an applicant for EMS agency certification under this rule.
C. "Bureau" means the emergency medical systems bureau of the epidemiology and response division, of the department of health.
D. "Call routing" means the reception of emergency calls where the purpose is to only determine the course of direction of routing (police, fire, and medical) resulting in rapid transfer of medical callers to the emergency medical dispatch agency or the emergency medical dispatch call taker for emergency medical dispatching.
E. "Certificated ambulance service" means a publicly or privately owned entity holding a current certificate from the New Mexico public regulation commission that identifies it as an emergency response ambulance service, and that is subject to the rules of the public regulation commission or its successor agency.
F. "Commission on the accreditation of ambulance services (CAAS)" means the national accrediting organization that establishes ambulance industry standards and evaluates ambulance services based upon those standards.
G. "Committee on accreditation of educational programs for the EMS professions (CoAEMSP)" means the national accrediting organization that establishes standards for educational programs for EMS professions, and that evaluates training programs based on those standards.
H. "Commission on the accreditation of medical transport systems (CAMTS)" means the national accrediting organization that establishes industry standards and evaluates air and ground ambulance services based upon those standards.
I. "Conviction" means a plea or adjudication of guilt, a plea of nolo contendre, an Alford plea, or any plea or adjudication that results in a conditional discharge or a suspended or deferred conviction.
J. "Days" means calendar days, unless otherwise specified.
K. "Department" means the New Mexico department of health.
L. "Department of transportation (DOT)" means the federal department of transportation.
M. "Emergency" means an individual's need for immediate medical care to prevent loss of life or aggravation of physical or psychological illness or injury.
N. "Emergency medical dispatch" means the reception, evaluation, processing, and provision of dispatch life support, management of requests for emergency medical assistance, and participation in ongoing evaluation and improvement of the emergency medical dispatch process. The emergency medical dispatch process is not limited to call routing only, but includes identifying the nature of the request, prioritizing the severity of the request, dispatching the necessary resources, providing medical aid and safety instructions to the callers, and coordinating the responding resources as needed.
O. "Emergency medical dispatch agency (EMDA)" means any organization, or a combination of organizations working cooperatively, that routinely accepts calls for emergency medical assistance and employs emergency medical dispatch priority reference system (EMDPRS) techniques.
P. "Emergency medical dispatch priority reference system (EMDPRS)" means a bureau approved reference system used by an emergency medical dispatch agency (EMDA) to dispatch aid to medical emergencies, which includes systemized caller interrogation; systemized pre-arrival instructions to the caller based upon protocols matching the dispatcher's evaluation of injury or illness severity; and prioritized vehicle response.
Q. "Emergency medical dispatcher (EMD)" means a provider who is trained and licensed pursuant to the EMS Act, NMSA 1978, Section 24-10B-4 F, to receive calls for emergency medical assistance, provide pre-arrival medical instructions, dispatch emergency medical assistance and coordinate its response.
R. "Emergency medical service(s) (EMS)" means the medical services rendered by licensed providers in response to an emergency.
S. "Emergency medical services agency (EMS agency, agency)" means an organization that provides emergency medical services. EMS agencies include emergency medical dispatch agencies, pre-hospital agencies with defined geographical boundaries for their response, inter-facility care agencies, and special event EMS agencies organized to provide emergency medical services. For the purposes of disciplinary actions taken pursuant to the enforcement provisions of this rule, unless otherwise specified, actions taken by an "EMS agency" shall include actions taken by EMS agency personnel and its medical director(s).
T. "Emergency medical technician (EMT)" means a provider who has been licensed by the department to provide patient care in accordance with the current EMS scopes of practice (7.27.2.14 NMAC).
U. "Emergency medical service agency certification (EMS agency certification, certification, certificate)" means a legal document issued to an EMS agency by the department as evidence that the applicant meets the requirements for certification to operate an EMS agency in accordance with this rule.
V. "EMS bureau (bureau)" means the emergency medical systems bureau of the epidemiology and response division of the New Mexico department of health, and includes the bureau's agents.
W. "EMS first responder (first responder)" means a provider who has been licensed by the department to provide initial patient care in accordance with the current EMS scopes of practice (7.27.2.14 NMAC).
X. "EMS Act (Act)" means the Emergency Medical Services Act, NMSA 1978, Section 24-10B-1 et seq.
Y. "EMS fund" means the fund established by the EMS Fund Act, NMSA 1978, Section 24-10A-1 et seq., that is administered by the department of health.
Z. "EMS Fund Act" means the Emergency Medical Services Fund Act, NMSA 1978, Section 24-10A-1 et seq.
AA. "EMS medical director (medical director)" means a physician licensed in New Mexico who is responsible for all aspects of patient care for an EMS system or EMS agency, including providing for or ensuring the medical control of EMS providers; the development, implementation, and evaluation of medical protocols; emergency medical dispatch; and oversight of quality assurance activities.
BB. "GSA standards" means the minimum standards and specifications for ambulances contained in the United States general services administration (GSA) standard KKK-A-1822F or most current GSA standard.
CC. "Level of care" means the most advanced level of emergency medical services that an emergency medical technician (EMT) is permitted to administer in accordance with the most current NM EMS scopes of practice.
DD. "Level of service" means the most advanced level of emergency medical service at which an EMS agency is certified to function in accordance with this rule.
EE. "Medical control" means EMS supervision provided by or under the direction of physicians to providers by written protocol or direct communication.
FF. "Medical direction" means guidance or supervision provided by a physician to an agency, provider or emergency medical services system and includes authority over and responsibility for emergency medical dispatch, direct patient care and transport of patients, arrangements for medical control and all other aspects of patient care delivered by an EMS provider or agency.
GG. "Medical direction committee" means the committee of physicians and emergency medical technicians created under the EMS Act, at NMSA 1978, Section 24-10B-7 C, whose members are appointed by the secretary to advise the bureau on all matters relating to medical control and medical direction.
HH. "Medical protocol" means a predetermined, written medical care plan and includes standing orders from a medical director.
II. "Mutual aid" means aid provided pursuant to a written agreement between one municipality, county or private EMS agency and one or more other municipalities, counties or private EMS agencies for the purpose of ensuring that adequate emergency medical services exist locally or throughout the state in order to assure a timely response to the call for emergency medical care. Mutual aid agreements may be utilized to address (among other things) coordinated response to catastrophic events, as well as common system demand and staffing situations.
JJ. "National EMD standard-setting and certification organization (NESSCO)" means the organization that provides and maintains a comprehensive EMD protocol and training system development process. Organizations accredited under NESSCO are required to maintain current and up-to-date emergency medical dispatch priority reference system (EMDPRS) curriculum, training, testing, certification, recertification, instructor, quality improvement and accreditation programs and standards.
KK. "Non-transport medical rescue vehicle" means any EMS agency representative vehicle (motor vehicle or watercraft) that is not a privately owned vehicle and that carries EMS equipment that is not included in the EMS agency's medical protocols to transport patients.
LL. "Non-transport medical rescue agency" means an EMS agency that does not transport patients and is organized under a New Mexico political subdivision or a private entity performing services solely for its employees.
MM. "Out-of-state EMS agency" meansan EMS agency that is organized under the laws of another state, or whose principal place of business is located in another state.
NN. "Patient care report" means a medical record of an encounter between any patient and a provider of medical care.
OO. "Personnel" means any employee, agent, representative, volunteer, or intern of an EMS agency who provides emergency medical services.
PP. "Privately owned vehicle" (POV) means a privately owned vehicle not registered to a governmental entity or EMS agency.
QQ. "Physician" means a doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathy who is licensed or otherwise authorized to practice medicine or osteopathic medicine in New Mexico.
RR. "Post-dispatch instructions" means case-specific advice, warnings, and treatments given by trained EMDs to responders whenever possible and appropriate after dispatch of field responders.
SS. "Pre-arrival instructions" means the scripted medical instructions provided to callers in emergency situations by licensed emergency medical dispatchers prior to the arrival of EMS agency personnel.
TT. "Primary response area" means the specific primary geographic area designated or prescribed by a jurisdiction in which an EMS agency provides emergency medical service.
UU. "Provider" means a person who has been licensed by the department to provide patient care pursuant to the EMS Act, NMSA 1978, Section 24-10B-1 et seq.
VV. "Quality assurance" means a retrospective review or inspection of EMS records to determine if appropriate care is being provided.
WW. "Regional office" means an emergency medical services planning and development organization formally recognized and contracted by the bureau.
XX. "Required records" means records, logs, data sets, forms, agreements, plans, procedures, policies, titles, certificates and other documents required to be retained by an EMS agency under this rule, whether in electronic or printed form.
YY. "Scope of practice" means the skills, techniques, medications, and procedures identified by rule of the department (7.27.2.14 NMAC) that are allowed for the practice of emergency medical services in New Mexico, that apply to all EMS personnel, EMS services, and EMS medical directors.
ZZ. "Secondary response area" means a geographic area in which an EMS agency provides emergency medical service beyond their primary response area, established by local jurisdictions or mutual aid agreements.
AAA. "Secretary" means the secretary of the New Mexico department of health.
BBB. "Special event emergency medical services (special event EMS)" means emergency medical services provided outside the emergency response system at scheduled, contractual events. Special event services include but are not limited to: medical services provided at movie sets, sporting events, mass gatherings, concert venues, adventure programs, religious events, guest ranches and wild-land fires.
CCC. "Special event EMS agency" means an organization that provides special event emergency medical services to the public by licensed EMS providers.
DDD. "Special skill" means a set of procedures or therapies that are beyond the usual scope of practice for a given level of licensure and that have been approved by the medical direction committee for use by a specified provider.
EEE. "Standing orders" means defined written orders for actions, techniques or drug administration, signed by the medical director, to be utilized when communication has not been made with an on-line medical control physician.
FFF. "Transport capable medical rescue" means any vehicle (motor vehicle or watercraft) that carries EMS protocols for transporting patients in a patient care compartment.
GGG. "Transport medical rescue agency" means an EMS agency that transports patients under certain circumstances and without compensation, and is organized under a New Mexico political subdivision or a private entity.