Oklahoma Administrative Code
Title 317 - Oklahoma Health Care Authority
Chapter 30 - Medical Providers-Fee for Service
Subchapter 5 - Individual Providers and Specialties
Part 33 - TRANSPORTATION BY AMBULANCE
Section 317:30-5-335.1 - Definitions

The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

"Ambulance" means a motor vehicle, watercraft, or aircraft that is primarily used or designated as available to provide transportation and basic life support or advanced life support.

"Bed confined" means that the member is unable to get up from bed without assistance, unable to ambulate, and unable to sit in a chair or wheelchair. The term bed confined is not synonymous with bed rest or non-ambulatory.

"Continuous or round trip" means an ambulance service in which the member is transported to the hospital, the physician deems it medically necessary for the ambulance to wait, and the member is then transported to a more appropriate facility for care or back to the place of origin.

"Emergency/ Emergent" means a serious situation or occurrence that happens unexpectedly and demands immediate action such as a medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected, by a reasonable and prudent layperson, to result in placing the member's health in serious jeopardy, serious impairment to bodily function, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.

"Emergency transfer" means the movement of an acutely ill or injured member from the scene to a health care facility (pre-hospital), or the movement of an acutely ill or injured member from one health care facility to another health care facility (inter-facility).

"Loaded mileage" means the number of miles for which the member is transported in the ambulance.

"Locality" means the service area surrounding the facility from which individuals normally travel or are expected to travel to seek medical care.

"Medically necessary transport" means an ambulance transport that is required because no other effective and less costly mode of transportation can be used due to the member's medical condition. The transport is required to transfer the member to and/or from a medically necessary service not available at the primary location.

"Nearest appropriate facility" means that the receiving institution is generally equipped to provide the needed hospital or skilled nursing care for the illness or injury involved. In the case of a hospital, it also means that a physician or physician specialist is available to provide the necessary care required to treat the member's condition. The fact that a particular physician does or does not have staff privileges in a hospital is not a consideration in determining whether the hospital has appropriate facilities. Thus, ambulance service to a more distant hospital solely to avail a member of the service of a specific physician or physician specialist does not make the hospital in which the physician has staff privileges the nearest hospital with appropriate facilities.

"Non-emergency transfer" means the movement of any member in an ambulance other than an emergency transfer.

"Stretcher service" means a non-emergency transport by a ground vehicle that is approved by the OSDH which is designed and equipped to transport individuals on a stretcher or gurney type apparatus that is operated to accommodate an incapacitated or disabled person who does not require medical monitoring, aid, care or treatment during transport.

Added at 24 Ok Reg 303, eff 12-1-06 (emergency); Added at 24 Ok Reg 601, eff 12-21-06 (emergency); Added at 24 Ok Reg 920, eff 5-11-07 ; Amended at 30 Ok Reg 1164, eff 7-1-13