A. The State Board of Health, giving consideration to the recommendations of the Trauma and Emergency Response Advisory Council created in Section 1-103a.1 of this title, shall promulgate rules establishing minimum standards and objectives to implement the development, regulation and improvement of trauma systems on a statewide basis. Rules shall provide for the classification of trauma and emergency care provided by all hospitals based on the level of service provided and for triage, transport and transfer guidelines. The Board shall consider guidelines developed by the American College of Surgeons in promulgating rules under this section.

B. The rules shall provide specific requirements for the distribution of trauma patients, ensure that trauma care is fully coordinated with all hospitals and emergency medical services in a regional area, and reflect the geographic areas of the state, considering time and distance.

C. The rules shall include:

1. Pre-hospital care management guidelines for triage and transport of trauma patients;

2. Establishment of referral patterns of trauma patients and geographic boundaries regarding trauma patients;

3. Requirements for licensed hospitals providing trauma and emergency operative services to provide quality care to trauma patients referred to these facilities;

4. Minimum requirements for resources and equipment needed by a trauma and emergency operative services facility to treat trauma patients;

5. Minimum standards for the availability and qualifications of health care personnel, including physicians and surgeons, treating trauma patients within a hospital;

6. Minimum requirements for data collection including, but not limited to, trauma incidence reporting, system operation and patient outcome, and continuous quality improvement activities;

7. Minimum requirements for periodic performance evaluation of the system and its components through continuous quality improvement activities;

8. Minimum requirements for reviews of trauma patient transfers;

9. Requirements that hospitals with the capacity and capability to provide care not refuse to accept the transfer of a trauma patient from another facility solely because of the person's inability to pay for services or because of the person's age, sex, race, religion or national origin;

10. Requirements for transferring hospitals to enter into reciprocal agreements with receiving hospitals that specify that the transferring hospital will accept the return transfer of trauma patients at such time as the hospital has the capability and capacity to provide care; provided, however, such reciprocal agreements shall not incorporate financial provisions for transfers; and

11. Minimum requirements for data collection for responses to time-sensitive medical conditions including but not limited to stroke and ST-Elevated Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). The responses to stroke and STEMI incidents shall be subject to review by the regional trauma advisory boards created pursuant to Section 1-2530.5 of this title.

Added by Laws 2004, c. 459, § 4, emerg. eff. June 4, 2004. Amended by Laws 2013, c. 229, § 70, eff. Nov. 1, 2013; Laws 2019, c. 393, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2019.