2023 Tennessee Code › Title 68 - HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (§§ 68-1-NEW — 68-221-1319) › SAFETY (§§ 68-101-101 — 68-143-103) › Chapter 140 - EMERGENCY SERVICES (§§ 68-140-101 — 68-140-604) › Part 3 - EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ACT OF 1983 (§§ 68-140-301 — 68-140-335) › Section 68-140-302 - Part definitions

As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1)
"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;
(2)
"Ambulance service" means the principal use of any privately or publicly owned ambulance for the transportation of injured or infirm persons;
(3)
"Authorization" means any and all forms of official permission required by this part, including licenses, permits and certificates;
(4)
"Board" means the Tennessee emergency medical services board;
(5)
"Certificate" means official acknowledgment that an individual has successfully complied with all requirements to practice and has completed a training program accredited or recognized by the board;
(6)
"Commissioner" means the commissioner of health, the commissioner's duly authorized representative, or in the event of the commissioner's absence or a vacancy in the office of commissioner, the deputy commissioner;
(7)
"Community paramedic" means an individual who:
(A)
Is licensed as a paramedic that delivers care in emergency and non-urgent pre-hospital settings with oversight of a physician;
(B)
Has received specialized training in physiology, disease processes, injury and illness prevention, and medical system navigation, in addition to general paramedic training; and
(C)
Meets the requirements for additional licensure as a community paramedic as established by the board;
(8)
"Community paramedicine" means the practice by emergency medical services personnel, primarily in an out-of-hospital setting, that may include the provisions of such services as patient evaluation, advice, treatment directed at preventing or improving a particular medical condition, or referrals to other community resources, which may be provided occasionally or at irregular intervals;
(9)
"Department" means the department of health;
(10)
"Director" means the director of the division of emergency medical services of the department;
(11)
"Emergency medical dispatcher" (EMD) means an individual certified by the department as having successfully completed a department-approved EMD course;
(12)
"Emergency medical responder" or "(EMR)" means a person who has successfully completed an EMR training course and has qualified by examinations to perform lifesaving interventions and to assist higher-level personnel at the scene and during transport, under medical direction;
(13)
"Emergency medical response vehicle" means any privately or publicly owned vehicle which is maintained or operated for the transportation of emergency medical care personnel, equipment, and supplies to the scene of a medical emergency for the provision of emergency medical services;
(14)
"Emergency medical service director" means an individual who directs the planning, development, implementation, coordination, administration, monitoring and evaluation of services provided by a licensed ambulance service;
(15)
"Emergency medical service medical director" means an individual who has an active, unencumbered license to engage in the practice of medicine pursuant to title 63, chapter 6, or chapter 9, and who provides medical advice, direction, oversight and authorization to emergency medical services personnel at a licensed ambulance service, and/or emergency medical services educational institution, including, but not limited to, quality assurance;
(16)
"Emergency medical services" (EMS) means the services utilized in responding to the perceived need for immediate medical care in order to prevent loss of life or aggravation of illness or injury;
(17)
"Emergency medical services - apprentice" or "(EMS-A)" means a person who does not possess an EMS license to provide emergency medical care in this state but meets all other requirements for operating an emergency vehicle;
(18)
"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;
(19)
"Invalid vehicle" means any privately or publicly owned vehicle that is maintained, operated and intended to be used to transport persons who are convalescent, or otherwise nonambulatory, and do not require medical treatment while in transit;
(20)
"License" means an authorization to a person to provide ambulance services; or an authorization to an individual to practice emergency medical care as emergency medical services personnel;
(21)
"Medical direction" means the supervision by a physician licensed to practice in the state of Tennessee of all medical aspects of patient care within EMS;
(22)
"Member" means a member of the Tennessee emergency medical service board;
(23)
"Mobile integrated health care" means the provision of health care using patient-centered, mobile resources in the out-of-hospital environment under local medical control as part of a community-based team of health and social services providers to include, but not be limited to, home health organizations and community paramedics;
(24)
"Mobile prehospital emergency medical care" means those emergency medical services rendered outside the hospital facility, precedent to and during transportation of such patients to emergency treatment facilities;
(25)
"Patient" means an individual who, as a result of physical or mental condition, needs medical attention;
(26)
"Permit" means an authorization issued for an ambulance vehicle as meeting the standards adopted pursuant to this part;
(27)
"Person" means any individual, association, organization or any other business entity, either profit or nonprofit, any state or local governmental entity, and federal agencies to the extent permitted by federal law;
(28)
"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;
(29)
"Run records" means ambulance run reports relative to a response by an ambulance service or invalid vehicle operator during which a patient is evaluated, treated or transported;
(30)
"Service" means the provision of organized response by ambulances or emergency response vehicles, or the provision of emergency care on an organized basis;
(31)
"State" means the state of Tennessee;
(32)
"State emergency medical services medical director" means an individual who has an unencumbered license to engage in the practice of medicine pursuant to title 63, chapter 6 or chapter 9 and who provides medical advice, direction, and oversight for statewide medical direction, including, but not limited to, quality assurance, protocols and standing orders; and
(33)
"Volunteer personnel" means persons who provide emergency care without expectation of remuneration who do not receive payment for services rendered, and who do not depend on the provision of emergency care for their livelihood or a substantial portion of their livelihood.
Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 1012, s 1, eff. 5/9/2022.
Amended by 2017 Tenn. Acts, ch. 370, s 1, eff. 5/11/2017.
Acts 1983, ch. 440, § 3; T.C.A., § 68-39-502; Acts 1992, ch. 796, § 1; 1993, ch. 273, § 1; 1994, ch. 726, § 1; 1997 , ch. 280, § 1; T.C.A., § 68-140-502; Acts 2012 , ch. 728, §§ 1-6.