(a) The department shall recognize hospitals that meet the criteria of a ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) receiving center or STEMI referring center. Such recognition is limited to inclusion on a list, maintained by the department, of STEMI receiving centers and STEMI referring centers. The list shall be published on the department’s division of emergency medical services’ website.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 68-140-328

  • Ambulance: means any privately or publicly owned land or air vehicle that is especially designed, constructed or modified and equipped and is intended to be used for and is maintained or operated for transportation upon the streets, highways or airways in this state for persons who are sick, injured, wounded, otherwise incapacitated, helpless, or in need of medical care. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Board: means the Tennessee emergency medical services board. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Department: means the department of health. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Emergency medical services personnel: means individuals certified or licensed by the emergency medical services board in accordance with various categories and classifications of licenses or certificates that the board establishes. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Practice: means the exercise of principles and skills for effective emergency medical care under medical direction recognized as acts and responsibilities within the discipline of emergency medical services. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Service: means the provision of organized response by ambulances or emergency response vehicles, or the provision of emergency care on an organized basis. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • State: means the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The department may recognize certification or accreditation from a department-approved nationally recognized certifying or accrediting organization, as sufficient to recognize a hospital as a STEMI receiving center or a STEMI referring center.
(c) To be recognized as a STEMI receiving center or a STEMI referring center by the department, a hospital must submit written notification to the board for licensing healthcare facilities and submit proof that the hospital meets the applicable criteria set forth by a department-approved nationally recognized certifying or accrediting organization.
(d) If a hospital loses its certification or accreditation, it shall notify the board for licensing healthcare facilities. The department must then remove the hospital from the department’s list.
(e) Each ambulance service shall develop and implement pre-hospital care protocol plans related to the assessment, treatment, and transport of STEMI heart attack patients by licensed emergency medical services personnel. The protocol shall include plans for the triage and transport of STEMI heart attack patients to the closest or most appropriate STEMI receiving center, or, when appropriate, to a STEMI referring center, based on nationally recognized clinical practice guidelines. The emergency medical services board has the authority to promulgate rules to implement and enforce this section.
(f) STEMI receiving centers are encouraged to coordinate, through agreement, with STEMI referring centers throughout the state to provide appropriate access to care for acute heart attack patients.
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