Alabama Administrative Code › Title 930 - ALABAMA STATE BOARD OF VETERINARY MEDICINE › Chapter 930-X-1 - GENERAL RULES › Section 930-X-1-.31 - Premises Permits

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 9, June 28, 2024
(1) All
			 veterinary facilities must acquire a premises permit. The owner and all
			 associate veterinarians must be listed on the premises permit.
(2) All licensed veterinarians owning or
			 associated with the premises shall be individually responsible for management
			 of the premises. Short term relief veterinarians without management
			 responsibilities will not be required to be listed on the premises
			 permit.
(3) Premises permits must
			 be displayed within the practice in such a manner as to be easily viewed by the
			 public.
(4) All service agreements
			 for any premises, including after hour emergency agreements and other
			 supportive agreements, must be displayed with phone numbers and addresses
			 within the practice in such a manner as to be easily viewed by the
			 public.
(5) All licensed
			 veterinarians owning or the primary administrative contact veterinarian with
			 the premises, shall be individually responsible for immediately reporting to
			 the Board any changes, modifications, or terminations of any service
			 agreements.
(6) An applicant for an
			 initial premises permit must allow ample time for the Board to process the
			 premises permit application. When an application, which is not for a renewal or
			 change in ownership or association, requires an evaluation or inspection, the
			 applicant must file a complete application at least 90 days before the permit
			 is needed. All new veterinary facilities must complete a premises permit
			 application and remit the inspection fee along with all required documents to
			 the Board office. Evaluations or inspections will not be scheduled for
			 incomplete premises applications even when the applicant believes that the
			 missing information is minor, incidental, or unimportant. The Board has a
			 limited number of inspectors and to ensure that all applicants receive premises
			 permits timely, the Board will strictly adhere to an inspection schedule. An
			 Inspector/Compliance Officer will contact the veterinarian to schedule an
			 inspection date. Upon meeting or exceeding all mandatory minimum standards the
			 Board will issue a premises permit.
(7) In the event a facility fails to pass an
			 initial premises inspection/evaluation, applicant must correct any
			 deficiencies, complete a new premises permit application, and pay the premises
			 evaluation failure reinspection fee. An Inspector/Compliance Officer will
			 contact the veterinarian to schedule the reinspection. It may be up to 120 days
			 after the Board is notified that the premises are ready for reinspection before
			 the premises are reevaluated.
(8)
			 The application must designate one veterinarian as the primary administrative
			 contact to work with the Board. The administrative contact veterinarian for the
			 facility shall be the individual responsible for ensuring and coordinating
			 administrative compliance with the practice act and the rules of the
			 administrative code. The administrative contact veterinarian is individually
			 responsible for written, telephonic, and electronic communication to and from
			 the Board. This may not be delegated to administrative staff.
(9) Upon meeting the requirements of the
			 practice act and the administrative code, including applicable mandatory
			 minimum standards for facilities, the following types of premises permits are
			 available:
(a) Veterinary or Animal Hospital
			 or Clinic- available only for a facility providing quality examination,
			 diagnostic, and health maintenance services for medical and surgical treatment
			 of animals, including housing and nursing care for animals during illness and
			 convalescence. Veterinarians working out of these facilities may make
			 occasional house or farm calls to treat animals at the owner/client's premises
			 without becoming a mobile clinic when reasonable circumstances prevent an
			 owner/client from bringing an animal to the facility. A Mobile Small Animal
			 Clinic may be permitted as a full-service clinic by meeting or exceeding all
			 mandatory requirements for both full-service and mobile premises;
(b) Specialty Practice or Specialty Clinic-
			 available only for a facility where veterinarians have advanced training in a
			 specialty, are diplomats of an approved specialty college, and provide complete
			 specialty services. These facilities must meet the minimum standards applicable
			 for all facilities in addition to any minimum standards applicable to the
			 specialty;
(c) Central Hospital-
			 available only for a full-service facility, mainly utilized as a referral
			 facility, and providing specialized care, including 24-hour nursing care and
			 specialty consultation on a permanent or on-call basis, and the facility must
			 also meet the requirements of subsection (a) by providing quality examination,
			 diagnostic, and health maintenance services for medical and surgical treatment
			 of animals, including housing and nursing care for animals during illness and
			 convalescence;
(d) Satellite
			 Clinic- available only for a supportive facility owned by or associated with,
			 by having a service agreement with a permitted veterinary hospital, clinic, or
			 full-service central hospital designated on the premises permit as the primary
			 facility. Veterinarians on the premises permit of the primary facility must
			 verify in the outpatient premises permit application that its outpatient
			 clinic, if offering limited services, has ready access to the primary facility
			 and is located within one hour or 45 miles of the primary facility, and that a
			 veterinarian from the primary facility will be on call during and after the
			 operation of the satellite to render aid, if necessary. In exceptional
			 circumstances, upon approval of the board, the one hour or 45-mile limitation
			 may be extended to a reasonable distance based upon the geographic location of
			 the satellite clinic. Satellite clinics are primarily fixed branch locations of
			 the primary facility and may be full or limited services facilities with
			 necessary service agreements. The operation of any satellite clinic must be
			 under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian who remains on the
			 premises during the entire time of operation;
(e) Outpatient Clinic- available only for a
			 supportive facility owned by or associated with, by having a service agreement
			 with a permitted veterinary hospital, clinic or full-service central hospital
			 designated on the premises permit as the primary facility. An outpatient clinic
			 is mainly utilized for wellness and minor medical issues not requiring general
			 anesthesia, surgery, or hospitalization. Veterinarians on the premises permit
			 of the primary facility must verify in the outpatient premises permit
			 application that its outpatient clinic, if offering limited services, has ready
			 access to the primary facility and is located within one hour or 45 miles of
			 the primary facility, and that a veterinarian associated with the primary
			 facility will be on call during and after the operation of the outpatient
			 clinic to render aid, if necessary. In exceptional circumstances, upon approval
			 of the board, the one hour or 45-mile limitation may be extended to a
			 reasonable distance based upon the geographic location of the outpatient
			 clinic. The operation of any outpatient clinic must be under the direct
			 supervision of a licensed veterinarian who remains on the premises during the
			 entire time of operation;
(f)
			 Mobile Small Animal Clinic-available only for a supportive facility owned by or
			 to be associated with by having a service agreement with a permitted veterinary
			 hospital, clinic, or full-service central hospital. The Mobile Small Animal
			 Clinic, the supportive facility, must be added to the premises permit of the
			 primary facility. The veterinarians of the Mobile Small Animal Clinic, the
			 supportive facility, must be listed as veterinarians on the premises permit of
			 the primary facility. Veterinarians on the premises permit of the primary
			 facility must verify in the mobile small animal clinic premises permit
			 application that its mobile small animal clinic, if offering limited services,
			 has ready access to the primary facility and is located within one hour or 45
			 miles of the primary facility, and that a veterinarian associated with the
			 primary facility will be on call during and after the operation of the mobile
			 small animal clinic to render aid, if necessary. In exceptional circumstances,
			 upon approval of the board, the one hour or 45-mile limitation may be extended
			 to a reasonable distance based on the geographic location of the mobile small
			 animal clinic. The operation of any Mobile Small Animal Clinic must be under
			 the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian who remains on the premises
			 during the entire time of operation;
(g) Large Animal Mobile Clinic- available
			 only for a facility providing examination, diagnostic, preventive medicine, and
			 minor surgical services for large animals not requiring confinement of
			 hospitalization, including any other surgeries required by emergencies in the
			 field. Large animal mobile units may be, but are not required to be,
			 self-contained units. Complete hospital facilities may be provided without a
			 service agreement by the nearest large animal hospital or veterinary school.
			 Veterinarians operating out of a Large Animal Mobile Clinic may diagnose and
			 treat an owner/client's small animals on the owner/client's premises without
			 becoming a Mobile Small Animal Clinic;
(h) Emergency Clinic- available only for a
			 treatment facility specializing in emergency veterinary medicine, established
			 to receive patients from the public without prior appointments and to accept
			 referrals from other veterinary facilities, to treat acute injuries and
			 illnesses which require immediate attention, to provide diagnostic and
			 treatment during hours when local veterinary hospitals are normally closed.
			 Emergency clinics shall meet or exceed all mandatory requirements for a
			 full-service facility as provided in subsection (a) as well meet all other
			 requirements of the practice act and the administrative code. Emergency clinics
			 are not required to enter into service agreements with referring veterinarians
			 who are within the same locale.