Current through Vol. 42, No. 1, September 16, 2024
(a) Department
approved medical and trauma triage, transport, and transfer protocols shall
adhere to the principle of delivering time-sensitive medical and trauma
patients to appropriate facilities as outlined by the regional advisory boards
and the Department approved protocols.
(b) Specific triage, transport, and transfer
protocols or destination protocols shall be developed by medical control for
the region, area, and/or local service and submitted to the Department for
approval.
(c) Each agency shall
designate the receiving facility(ies) that are within their reasonable service
range.
(1) An agency may still transport to
facilities outside of the reasonable service range on a case by case
basis.
(2) Repeated transports to
facilities that are outside of the agency's reasonable range will require
modifications to the designated receiving facility list maintained at the
Department with the agency's approved protocols.
(d) Triage, transport and transfer protocols
approved by the Department shall include the following requirements:
(1) medical and trauma non- emergency
transports shall be transported to the facility of the patient's choice, if
within reasonable service range,
(2) emergency, non-injury related, non-life
threatening transports shall be transported to the facility of the patient's
choice, if within reasonable service range,
(3) emergency, injury related transports
shall adhere to the Oklahoma Triage, Transport, and Transfer Guidelines as
authorized in 63 O.S. 1-2530.3 and shall ensure that patients are delivered to
the most appropriate classified hospital, either within their region or
contiguous regions,
(4) Severely
injured patients as described in the Oklahoma Triage, Transport, and Transfer
Guidelines as authorized in 63 O.S. 1-2530.3 shall be transported to a hospital
classified at Level I or II for trauma and emergency operative services unless
a Level III facility that is identified within a regional plan is capable of
providing definitive care. If time and distance factors are detrimental to
patient outcomes, patients shall be transported to the closest appropriate
hospital in accordance with the State approved regional trauma plan.
(5) Stable patients at risk for severe injury
or with minor-to-moderate injury as described in the Oklahoma Triage,
Transport, and Transfer Guidelines shall be transported to the closest
appropriate facility. These patients may be transported to the hospital of the
patient's or patients' legalrepresentative's choice consistent with regional
guidelines.
(6) Emergency, life
threatening, non-injury transports shall be to the nearest facility that can
provide evaluation and stabilization appropriate to the patient's
condition.
(7) Transports or
transfers from a pre-hospital setting that occur as a result of a physician
order shall be transported to the facility ordered by the physician except
when:
(A) the patient or the patient's
guardian chooses a different facility;
(B) the patient condition changes, and going
to a different facility is in the best interest of the patient;
(C) the receiving facility's ability to
receive that patient has changed;
(D) the facility is not within a reasonable
range of the agency; or
(E) the
Trauma Referral Center requests a change in destination or presents reasonable
options for a destination.
(e) In counties with populations of 300,000
or more and their contiguous communities, injury related transports shall be
directed and coordinated by the trauma transfer and referral center for the
region.
(1) All ambulance services providing
pre-hospital emergency services in these regions shall contact the trauma
transfer and referral center at intervals determined by the Department to
register the transport of an injured patient to a hospital.
(2) All ambulance services transporting
injured patients on a pre-hospital basis from areas outside the region to
hospitals in the region shall contact the trauma transfer and referral center
before entering the region. The trauma transfer and referral center shall
direct the ambulance to the appropriate hospital based on the regional plan,
the severity of the injury, and the capacity status of the hospitals in the
region.
(3) All ambulance services
transferring injured patients from hospitals outside the region to hospitals in
the region shall contact the trauma transfer and referral center before
entering the region to advise the center of the patient transfer. The center
shall maintain a record of the transfer for regional continuous quality
improvement activities.
(f) The patient has a right to refuse
transport.
(g) Each ambulance
service shall ensure that the care of each patient is transferred appropriately
to the receiving facility's licensed staff. The transfer of care will include
verbal and written reports summarizing the assessment and treatment of the
patient by the ambulance service.
(h) All licensed ambulance services are
required to participate in the regional and statewide systems of care
established through statute and administered by the Department to ensure
patients are transported to the appropriate facility in a timely manner to
receive appropriate care.
