Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. General: Prior to beginning air ambulance
operations within the state of New Mexico, either a temporary or full air
ambulance certification is required for the levels of service, as outlined
below.
(1) Levels of service: the following
levels of service are authorized in New Mexico:
(a) advanced air ambulance service: the air
medical crew shall at all times consist of at least 2 licensed health care
providers, one of which, shall be licensed at the advanced life support (ALS)
level or above (minimum licensed EMT-paramedic or above);
(b) critical care air ambulance service: the
critical care mission shall consist of at least one critical care provider and
at least one additional provider which shall be licensed at or above the ALS
level of care, and/or specifically trained in the area of care required;
additional providers may be added as necessary;
(c) specialty care air ambulance service: the
specialty care mission shall consist of at least one specialty care provider
and at least one additional provider which shall be licensed at or above the
ALS level of care, and/or specifically trained in the area of care required;
additional providers may be added as necessary;
(d) generally, services certified to provide
critical care are certified to perform advanced air ambulance service care; in
all such cases, the minimum level of certified/licensed health care provider
staffing, for each level of certification, shall be aboard the
aircraft;
(e) services that provide
care at the advanced, critical or specialty air ambulance level care are
required to remain with the patient until someone of equal or higher training
assumes care of the patient.
(2) Temporary certification: a temporary
certification for a maximum period of three years may be issued by the bureau
for non-CAMTS accredited services, upon successful completion of the
application process, a preliminary inspection and approval by the bureau, and
payment of all required fees.
(a) A
preliminary inspection includes an on site visit with the air ambulance
service, aircraft, and crew. The certification evaluation team (CET) will
normally consist of a bureau representative, the state EMS medical director or
a designated physician, state aviation officer, EMS communications manager, and
additional personnel as determined by the bureau.
(b) Once a temporary certification is issued,
and within the three year certification, the service shall obtain and maintain
CAMTS accreditation in order to become fully certified by the bureau. All
non-CAMTS accredited air ambulance services shall submit a program information
file (PIF) to CAMTS and the bureau within 16 months of acquiring a temporary
certification from the bureau as outlined in Subsection B of 7.27.5.13
NMAC.
(3) Full
certification: after successfully completing the CAMTS accreditation process,
and upon approval by the bureau, a three year air ambulance service certificate
for the approved level shall be issued to the service. To be fully certified,
an air ambulance service shall:
(a) comply
with applicable federal, state, and local laws and rules to operate a business
in New Mexico;
(b) submit a copy of
CAMTS accreditation certificate;
(c) complete a service application and submit
it along with the required application fee to the bureau;
(d) may be required to complete an air
ambulance service inspection, as determined by the bureau.
B. Application for certification
of non-CAMTS accredited services: Prior to transporting patients within the
state of New Mexico, an air ambulance service:
(1) shall submit to the bureau a completed
bureau approved New Mexico air ambulance application with appropriate
fees;
(2) shall insure compliance
with all federal and state requirements, such as proof of insurance, aircraft
inspection certificates, FAA Part 135 certificate, board of pharmacy permit(s),
and drug enforcement agency permits;
(3) shall complete the initial bureau
inspection process; and
(4) upon
successful completion, the bureau shall issue a temporary air ambulance
certificate for a period of up to three years for one of the approved levels of
service:
(a) by the end of the first (16)
sixteen months of the temporary certification period, the service shall provide
to the bureau with a copy of the initial CAMTS program information form (PIF)
and a letter from CAMTS acknowledging receipt of the PIF;
(b) failure to complete the CAMTS
accreditation process during the temporary certification period shall be
reviewed by the bureau and may result in initiation of action to suspend the
air ambulance service temporary certification; this includes, but is not
limited to:
(i) failure to submit a complete
PIF to the bureau or CAMTS within the first sixteen months of the temporary
certification period; or
(ii)
submitting an incomplete PIF; or
(iii) failure to pay appropriate fees to the
bureau; or
(iv) failure of a bureau
inspection or CAMTS accreditation inspection;
(5) upon receipt of proof of CAMTS
accreditation and approval of the bureau, the bureau may issue a full air
ambulance certification.
C. Application for certification of CAMTS
accredited services: Prior to transporting patients within the state of New
Mexico, an air ambulance service shall:
(1)
submit to the bureau a completed bureau approved New Mexico air ambulance
application with appropriate fees; and
(2) ensure compliance with all federal and
state requirements such as proof of insurance, aircraft inspection
certificates, FAA Part 135 certificate, board of pharmacy permit(s), and drug
enforcement agency permits; and
(3)
submit proof of current CAMTS accreditation; services that maintain CAMTS
accreditation shall notify the bureau immediately of any CAMTS accreditation
status changes;
(4) upon successful
completion the bureau shall issue a full New Mexico air ambulance certification
at the appropriate level of care.
D. Certification evaluation team (CET): The
CET shall typically consist of the membership listed below. The bureau shall
convene the membership of the CET as necessary to perform either the initial,
temporary service inspections, or whenever the bureau deems necessary.
(1) The CET membership is composed of the
following individuals, as determined by the bureau:
(a) bureau representative - team
leader;
(b) state EMS medical
director or a designated physician;
(c) state aviation representative;
(d) EMS communications
representative;
(e) other members
as deemed necessary by the bureau.
(2) Services shall be given advanced notice,
in writing, of those personnel selected for the CET. A service which has a good
faith belief that selected individual(s) on the CET may be biased or have a
possible conflict of interest, may request that the bureau select a new member.
In all such cases, the bureau shall make the final determination of CET
membership.
(3) Other inspections:
Inspections of non-CAMTS accredited, out-of-state services shall follow the
certification process, as outlined. When out-of-state travel is required of the
CET, the service applying for certification shall be responsible for
reimbursement of travel expenses.
E. Changing the level of service: Changing a
level of service shall require the service to submit an initial application for
that level of service, along with certification fees. Changing from a rotor or
fixed wing service to a combination service will also require a new application
and fee. Changing from a combined rotor wing and fixed wing service to a single
type of aircraft service will require a new application and fee for the
service(s) involved.
F. Renewal of
certification and inspection: Services shall retain state certification by
renewing their certification every three years, concurrent with CAMTS
accreditation. This is accomplished by submitting the required renewal
application, fee, and proof of current CAMTS accreditation. Normally, the
certification for air ambulance services that maintain national accreditation
according to the standards of the CAMTS do not require a renewal inspection by
the bureau to maintain certification, but, shall meet all other requirements,
including the submission of a renewal application and payment of fees. The
bureau may perform an inspection of a certified air ambulance service, as
determined by the bureau. The renewal application contains general air
ambulance service information and is used in conjunction with the initial
certification application standards when applying for renewal to update the
bureau on the air ambulance service.
