Rules & Regulations of the State of Tennessee
Title 0720 - Health Facilities Commission
Chapter 0720-20 - Standards for Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Centers
Section 0720-20-.01 - DEFINITIONS

(1) Abuse. The willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish.

(2) Acceptable Plan of Correction. The Licensing Division approves an Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center's plan to correct deficiencies identified during an on-site survey conducted by the Survey Division or its designated representative. The plan of correction shall be a written document and shall provide, but not limited to, the following information:

(3) Accredited Record Technician (ART). A person currently accredited as such by the American Medical Records Association.

(4) Adult. An individual who has capacity and is at least 18 years of age.

(5) Advance Directive. An individual instruction or a written statement relating to the subsequent provision of health care for the individual, including, but not limited to, a living will or a durable power of attorney for health care.

(6) Agent. An individual designated in an advance directive for health care to make a health care decision for the individual granting the power.

(7) Ambulatory surgical treatment center (ASTC). Any institution, place or building devoted primarily to the maintenance and operation of a facility for the performance of surgical procedures. Such facilities shall not provide beds or other accommodations for the stay of a patient to exceed twelve (12) hours duration, provided that the length of stay may be extended for an additional twelve (12) hours in the event such stay is deemed necessary by the attending physician, the facility medical director, or the anesthesiologist for observation or recovery, but in no event shall the length of stay exceed twenty-four (24) hours. Individual patients shall be discharged in an ambulatory condition without danger to the continued wellbeing of the patients or shall be transferred to a hospital. Excluded from this definition are the private physicians' and dentists' office practices. For the purposes of this rule, those medical and dental offices, facilities, and other settings at which surgical procedures exclusively are performed are ASTC's and not private office practices.

ASTC's must comply with the following for purposes of these regulations:

(8) Board. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities.

(9) Cancer Treatment and Radiation Clinic. A facility in which the only procedures performed are diagnostic and therapeutic radiology, chemotherapy and related services.

(10) Capacity. An individual's ability to understand the significant benefits, risks, and alternatives to proposed health care and to make and communicate a health care decision. These regulations do not affect the right of a patient to make health care decisions while having the capacity to do so. A patient shall be presumed to have capacity to make a health care decision, to give or revoke an advance directive, and to designate or disqualify a surrogate. Any person who challenges the capacity of a patient shall have the burden of proving lack of capacity.

(11) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). The administering of any means or device to support cardiopulmonary functions in a patient, whether by mechanical devices, chest compressions, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, cardiac massage, tracheal intubation, manual or mechanical ventilators or respirators, defibrillation, the administration of drugs and/or chemical agents intended to restore cardiac and/or respiratory functions in a patient where cardiac or respiratory arrest has occurred or is believed to be imminent.

(12) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. A registered nurse currently licensed by the Tennessee Board of Nursing who is currently certified as such by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

(13) Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA). The federal law requiring that clinical laboratories be approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Care Financing Administration.

(14) Collaborative Plan. The formal written plan between the mid-level practitioners and licensed physician.

(15) Collaborative Practice. The implementation of the collaborative plan that outlines procedures for consultation and collaboration with other health care professionals, e.g., licensed physicians, mid-level practitioners or nurse midwives.

(16) Commissioner. Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health or his or her authorized representative.

(17) Competent. A patient who has capacity.

(18) Dentist. A person currently licensed as such by the Tennessee Board of Dentistry.

(19) Department. The Tennessee Department of Health.

(20) Designated Physician. A physician designated by an individual or the individual's agent, guardian, or surrogate, to have primary responsibility for the individual's health care or, in the absence of a designation or if the designated physician is not reasonably available, a physician who undertakes such responsibility.

(21) Do-Not-Resuscitate Order (DNR). A written order, other than a POST, not to resuscitate a patient in cardiac or respiratory arrest in accordance with accepted medical practices.

(22) Electronic Signature. The authentication of a health record document or documentation in an electronic form achieved through electronic entry of an exclusively assigned, unique identification code entered by the author of the documentation.

(23) Emancipated Minor. Any minor who is or has been married or has by court order or otherwise been freed from the care, custody and control of the minor's parents.

(24) Emergency Responder. A paid or volunteer firefighter, law enforcement officer, or other public safety official or volunteer acting within the scope of his or her proper function under law or rendering emergency care at the scene of an emergency.

(25) Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Clinic. A facility in which the only procedures performed are those related to the gastrointestinal tract and other endoscopic procedures. This excludes laparoscopy and limits entry to major body cavities by needle aspiration only.

(26) General Anesthesia. An induced state of unconsciousness accompanied by partial or complete loss of protective reflexes inducing the inability to continually maintain an airway independently and respond purposefully to physical stimulation or verbal command, and produced by a pharmacological or non-pharmacological method or a combination thereof.

(27) Graduate Registered Nurse Anesthetist. A registered nurse currently licensed in Tennessee who is a graduate of a nurse anesthesia educational program that is accredited by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist's Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs and awaiting initial certification examination results, provided that initial certification is accomplished within eighteen (18) months of completion of an accredited nurse anesthesia educational program.

(28) Guardian. A judicially appointed guardian or conservator having authority to make a health care decision for an individual.

(29) Hazardous Waste. Materials whose handling, use, storage and disposal are governed by local, state or federal regulations.

(30) Health Care. Any care, treatment, service or procedure to maintain, diagnose, treat, or otherwise affect an individual's physical or mental condition, and includes medical care as defined in T.C.A. § 32-11-103(5).

(31) Health Care Decision. Consent, refusal of consent or withdrawal of consent to health care.

(32) Health Care Decision-maker. In the case of a patient who lacks capacity, the patient's health care decision-maker is one of the following: the patient's health care agent as specified in an advance directive, the patient's court-appointed guardian or conservator with health care decision-making authority, the patient's surrogate as determined pursuant to Rule 0720-20.13 or T.C.A. § 33-3-220, the designated physician pursuant to these Rules or in the case of a minor child, the person having custody or legal guardianship.

(33) Health Care Institution. A health care institution as defined in T.C.A. § 68-11-1602.

(34) Health Care Provider. A person who is licensed, certified or otherwise authorized or permitted by the laws of this state to administer health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a profession.

(35) Hospital. Any institution, place, building or agency represented and held out to the general public as ready, willing and able to furnish care, accommodations, facilities and equipment for the use, in connection with services of a physician or dentist, to one (1) or more non-related persons who may be suffering from deformity, injury or disease or from any other condition for which nursing, medical or surgical services would be appropriate for care, diagnosis or treatment.

(36) Incompetent. A patient who has been adjudicated incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction and has not been restored to legal capacity.

(37) Individual instruction. An individual's direction concerning a health care decision for the individual.

(38) Infectious Waste. Solid or liquid wastes which contain pathogens with sufficient virulence and quantity such that exposure to the waste by a susceptible host could result in an infectious disease.

(39) Licensed Practical Nurse. A person currently licensed as such by the Tennessee Board of Nursing.

(40) Licensee. The person or entity to whom the license is issued. The licensee is held responsible for compliance with all applicable rules and regulations.

(41) Life Threatening or Serious Injury. Injury requiring the patient to undergo significant additional diagnostic or treatment measures.

(42) Medical emergency. 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 to result in placing the patient's health in serious jeopardy, serious impairment to bodily functions or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.

(43) Medical Record. Medical histories, records, reports, summaries, diagnoses, prognoses, records of treatment and medication ordered and given, entries, x-rays, radiology interpretations and other written electronics, or graphic data prepared, kept, made or maintained in a facility that pertains to confinement or services rendered to patients admitted or receiving care.

(44) Medical Staff. An organized body composed of individuals appointed by the ambulatory surgical treatment center governing board. All members of the medical staff shall be licensed to practice in Tennessee, with the exception of interns and residents.

(45) Medically Inappropriate Treatment. Resuscitation efforts that cannot be expected either to restore cardiac or respiratory function to the patient or other medical or surgical treatments to achieve the expressed goals of the informed patient. In the case of the incompetent patient, the patient's representative expresses the goals of the patient.

(46) Mid-Level Practitioner. A registered nurse licensed in Tennessee who holds a master's degree in a clinical nursing specialty, national certification through the ANCC or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and holds a certificate of fitness to prescribe from the Tennessee Board of Nursing.

(47) Misappropriation of Patient/Resident Property. The deliberate misplacement, exploitation or wrongful, temporary or permanent use of an individual's belongings or money without the individual's consent.

(48) Neglect. The failure to provide goods and services necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish or mental illness; however, the withholding of authorization for or provision of medical care to any terminally ill person who has executed an irrevocable living will in accordance with the Tennessee Right to Natural Death Law, or other applicable state law, if the provision of such medical care would conflict with the terms of the living will, shall not be deemed "neglect" for purposes of these rules.

(49) N.F.P.A. National Fire Protection Association.

(50) Nurse Midwife. A person currently licensed by the Tennessee Board of Nursing as a registered nurse (R.N.) and qualified to deliver midwifery services or certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

(51) Patient. Includes but is not limited to any person who is suffering from an acute or chronic illness or injury or who is crippled, convalescent or infirm, or who is in need of obstetrical, surgical, medical, nursing or supervisory care.

(52) PALS. Pediatric Advance Life Support.

(53) Person. An individual, corporation, estate, trust, partnership, association, joint venture, government, governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity.

(54) Personally Informing. A communication by any effective means from the patient directly to a health care provider.

(55) Physician. An individual authorized to practice medicine or osteopathy under Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapters 6 or 9.

(56) Physician Assistant. A person who has graduated from a physician assistant educational program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, has passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, and is currently licensed in Tennessee as a physician assistant under title 63, chapter 19.

(57) Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment or POST. Written orders that:

(58) Podiatrist. A person currently licensed as such by the Tennessee Board of Registration in Podiatry.

(59) Power of Attorney for Health Care. The designation of an agent to make health care decisions for the individual granting the power under T.C.A. Title 34, Chapter 6, Part 2.

(60) Qualified Emergency Medical Service Personnel. Includes, but shall not be limited to, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or other emergency services personnel, providers, or entities acting within the usual course of their professions, and other emergency responders.

(61) Radiological Technologist. A person currently certified as such by the American Society of Radiological Technologists.

(62) Reasonably Available. Readily able to be contacted without undue effort and willing and able to act in a timely manner considering the urgency of the patient's health care needs. Such availability shall include, but not be limited to, availability by telephone.

(63) Registered Nurse (R.N.). A person currently licensed as such by the Tennessee Board of Nursing.

(64) Registered Record Administrator (RRA). A person currently registered as such by the American Medical Records Association.

(65) Shall or Must. Compliance is mandatory.

(66) State. A state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

(67) Supervising Health Care Provider. The designated physician or, if there is no designated physician or the designated physician is not reasonably available, the health care provider who has undertaken primary responsibility for an individual's health care.

(68) Surgical Procedure. A manual or operative method performed by a licensed medical practitioner to treat diseases, injuries, conditions and/or deformities. (As related to pregnancy termination, surgical procedure excludes, but is not limited to, PAP smear or vaginal examinations, ultrasounds, amniocentesis, intramuscular injections.)

(69) Surgical Technologist. A person who works under supervision to facilitate the safe and effective conduct of invasive surgical procedures. This individual is usually employed by a hospital, medical office, or surgical center and supervised during the surgical procedure according to institutional policy and procedure to assist in providing a safe operating room environment that maximizes patient safety by performing certain tasks including, but not limited to:

(70) Surrogate. An individual, other than a patient's agent or guardian, authorized to make a health care decision for the patient.

(71) Transfer. The movement of a patient at the direction of a physician or other qualified medical personnel when a physician is not readily available but does not include such movement of a patient who leaves the facility against medical advice.

(72) Treating Health Care Provider. A health care provider who at the time is directly or indirectly involved in providing health care to the patient.