Utah Administrative Code
Topic - Health
Title R426 - Population Health, Emergency Medical Services
Rule R426-10 - Air Ambulance Licensure and Operations
Section R426-10-400 - Air Ambulance Service Deemed Status
Universal Citation: UT Admin Code R 426-10-400
Current through Bulletin 2024-06, March 15, 2024
(1) The Department may grant deemed status for state license to an air ambulance provider that has received accreditation from a Department recognized accreditation service. An air ambulance provider who has deemed status may receive a license if they meet all of the requirements for application and licensure.
(2) To be recognized by the Department as an approved accreditation organization for the purposes of this section, the accrediting organization shall meet the following minimum standards:
(a) Publish standards that are equivalent to
or exceed the standards in this chapter.
(b) Publish standards which address every
component of a medical transport service that could potentially impact the
quality of care and patient safety with respect to communications centers,
pilots, drivers, maintenance, patient care providers, and administrative
support.
(c) Provide evidence of
timely reviews of applications from providers seeking accreditation.
(d) Procedures for random site visits,
audits, and other strategies utilized to ensure an accredited provider or a
provider seeking accreditation is adhering to the accreditation
standards.
(e) Publish policies for
the
(i) initial accreditation
requirements;
(ii) the tenure of
accreditation, not to exceed three (3) years;
(iii) the requirements for reaccreditation;
and
(iv) the accreditation decision
making process.
(f) Uses
trained accreditation personnel with experience in medical transport at the
level of accreditation and license for the level of accreditation being
sought.
(g) A formal training
program that educates accreditation auditors in consistent interpretation of
standards and policies of the accreditation agency.
(h) Publish the required qualifications for
accreditation personnel who conduct site surveys. Such qualifications must
demonstrate an extensive depth of experience with and knowledge of the air
ambulance industry.
(i) Policies
and standards that recognize the special circumstances of medical transport
services that serve rural areas.
(j) Demonstrate that accreditation standards
are updated on a regular basis to stay current with changes in healthcare and
air medical transportation.
(k)
Provide definition of all sentinel events including near misses. The
accrediting agency shall outline the processes for notifying the Department of
such events and the process for investigating and instituting corrective
measures for such events.
(l)
Provide information about the Board of Directors. Members of the Board of
Directors shall have experience in the air medical transport industry. The
Board of Directors shall include broad representation by members of relevant
national organizations that are engaged in the development, training, and
oversight of critical care and air medical patient transportation.
(m) Clearly outline the Conflict of Interest
Policy that excludes Board members or other accreditation agency
representatives from participating in accreditation decisions, site surveys, or
other processes when a real or potential conflict of interest exists.
(n) Publish fees for providers seeking
accreditation.
(o) Provide
documentation of the process that allows and encourages input, suggestions, and
review by outside individuals and agencies related to its standards, policies,
and procedures.
(p) Explain the
procedure for a corrective action plan when an audit uncovers areas that are
out of compliance.
(q) Demonstrate
a continuous quality improvement process that reviews the application process,
site surveys, accreditation decisions, and accreditation standards. The process
must include measures to achieve improvement, fairness, and
transparency.
(r) Maintain
insurance (General liability, Medical Professional Liability, Directors &
Officers and Travel) and be able to present their current certificates of
insurance to the state licensing agency.
(s) Comply with all applicable Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, including any
necessary requirements of a Business Associate entity.
(t) Allow a Department representative to be
present during site surveys, investigations, and any other on-site visit
performed in the Utah.
(u) Provide
simultaneous notification to the Department of an air ambulance provider's
accreditation decisions, corrective action, any changes in accreditation
status, and sentinel event reports; and
(v) List the accrediting agency's involvement
in research to improve the air medical transportation industry.
(3) A current list of recognized accreditation organizations is available on the Department's website.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Utah may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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