65-468. Rural health networks; definitions. As used in K.S.A. 65-468 to 65-474, inclusive, and amendments thereto:

(a) "Health care provider" means any person licensed or otherwise authorized by law to provide health care services in this state or a professional corporation organized pursuant to the professional corporation law of Kansas by persons who are authorized by law to form such corporation and who are health care providers as defined by this subsection, or an officer, employee or agent thereof, acting in the course and scope of employment or agency.

(b) "Member" means any hospital, emergency medical service, local health department, home health agency, adult care home, medical clinic, mental health center or clinic or nonemergency transportation system.

(c) "Mid-level practitioner" means a physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse who has entered into a written protocol with a rural health network physician.

(d) "Physician" means a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery.

(e) "Rural health network" means an alliance of members including at least one critical access hospital and at least one other hospital which has developed a comprehensive plan submitted to and approved by the secretary of health and environment regarding patient referral and transfer; the provision of emergency and nonemergency transportation among members; the development of a network-wide emergency services plan; and the development of a plan for sharing patient information and services between hospital members concerning medical staff credentialing, risk management, quality assurance and peer review.

(f) "Critical access hospital" means a member of a rural health network which makes available twenty-four hour emergency care services; provides not more than 25 acute care inpatient beds or in the case of a facility with an approved swing-bed agreement a combined total of extended care and acute care beds that does not exceed 25 beds; provides acute inpatient care for a period that does not exceed, on an annual average basis, 96 hours per patient; and provides nursing services under the direction of a licensed professional nurse and continuous licensed professional nursing services for not less than 24 hours of every day when any bed is occupied or the facility is open to provide services for patients unless an exemption is granted by the licensing agency pursuant to rules and regulations. The critical access hospital may provide any services otherwise required to be provided by a full-time, on-site dietician, pharmacist, laboratory technician, medical technologist and radiological technologist on a part-time, off-site basis under written agreements or arrangements with one or more providers or suppliers recognized under medicare. The critical access hospital may provide inpatient services by a physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or a clinical nurse specialist subject to the oversight of a physician who need not be present in the facility. In addition to the facility's 25 acute beds or swing beds, or both, the critical access hospital may have a psychiatric unit or a rehabilitation unit, or both. Each unit shall not exceed 10 beds and neither unit will count toward the 25-bed limit, nor will these units be subject to the average 96-hour length of stay restriction.

(g) "Hospital" means a hospital other than a critical access hospital which has entered into a written agreement with at least one critical access hospital to form a rural health network and to provide medical or administrative supporting services within the limit of the hospital's capabilities.

History: L. 1992, ch. 158, § 1; L. 1998, ch. 53, § 2; L. 2002, ch. 203, § 3; L. 2004, ch. 87, § 1; L. 2004, ch. 180, § 8; L. 2011, ch. 114, § 54; Jan. 1, 2012.