| (a) In addition to providing emergency services and
observation care, a limited services rural hospital (LSRH) may provide
outpatient and medical health diagnostic and therapeutic items and
services that are commonly furnished in a physician's office or at
another entry point into the health care delivery system that include:
radiology, laboratory, outpatient rehabilitation, surgical, maternal
health, and behavioral health services. If an LSRH provides additional
outpatient and medical health diagnostic and therapeutic items and
services, the LSRH shall comply with the requirements of this section.
(b) The outpatient and medical health diagnostic and
therapeutic items and services the LSRH provides shall:
(1) align with the health needs of the community served
by the LSRH; and
(2) be appropriately organized and meet the needs of
the patients in accordance with acceptable standards of practice.
(c) The LSRH shall:
(1) provide items and services based on nationally
recognized guidelines and standards of practice;
(2) have a system in place for referral from the LSRH
to different levels of care, including follow-up care, as appropriate;
(3) have effective communication systems in place between
the LSRH and the patient (or responsible individual) and their family,
ensuring that the LSRH is responsive to their needs and preferences;
(4) have established relationships with hospitals that
have the resources and capacity available to deliver care that is
beyond the scope of care delivered at the LSRH; and
(5) have personnel providing these services who meet
the requirements in subsection (d) of this section.
(d) The LSRH shall meet the following personnel requirements
for outpatient services.
(1) The LSRH shall assign one or more individuals to
be responsible for outpatient services.
(2) The LSRH shall have appropriate professional and
nonprofessional personnel available at each location where outpatient
services are offered, based on the scope and complexity of outpatient
services.
(3) For any specialty services offered at the LSRH,
the LSRH shall have a physician, advanced practice registered nurse,
or physician assistant providing services with experience and training
in the specialty service area and in accordance with their scope of
practice.
(e) Outpatient medical and health services shall be
ordered by a practitioner who is:
(1) responsible for the care of the patient for whom
the practitioner is ordering the services;
(2) licensed in the state of Texas;
(3) acting within their scope of practice under state
law;
(4) authorized, in accordance with state law and policies
adopted by the medical staff; and
(5) approved by the governing body, to order the applicable
outpatient services and either:
(A) appointed to the LSRH's medical staff and who have
been granted privileges to order the applicable outpatient services;
or
(B) not appointed to the medical staff, but who satisfy
the requirements for authorization by the medical staff and the LSRH
for ordering the applicable outpatient services for their patients.
|
