Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 111 - RULES OF DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH › Chapter 111-8 - HEALTHCARE FACILITY REGULATION › Subject 111-8-7 - RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR BIRTH CENTERS › Rule 111-8-7-.06 - Organization and Administration

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
(1) The birth center shall be organized with
				an identifiable governing body which is responsible for establishing objectives
				and policies and which assumes full legal responsibilities for the overall
				conduct of the center, including compliance with laws and regulations
				pertaining to the center. The governing body and its membership shall be
				identified in the application for licensure.
(2) The ownership of the center shall be
				fully disclosed in the application. This disclosure shall include the names and
				addresses of all corporate officers and any person(s) having a five percent
				(5.0%) or more financial interest in the center.
(3) The governing body shall be responsible
				for professional staff appointments, shall establish effective mechanisms for
				quality assurance, and shall ensure the accountability of the professional
				staff.
(4) The organizational
				objectives of the center shall be clearly stated in the policies and procedures
				of the center.
(5) The governing
				body shall appoint an administrator and shall notify the Department of such
				person's name.
(6) The center shall
				be at all times under the personal and daily supervision and control of the
				administrator (or a designated representative) whose authority, duties and
				responsibilities shall be defined in writing. This information shall be
				available to the Department on request.
(7) The center shall be available for
				occupancy twenty-four (24) hours per day, with professional staff on call at
				all times.
(8) Criteria for
				admission to the center shall be clearly identified in the center's policies.
				The admission policy shall be submitted with the application for licensure. At
				a minimum, admission criteria shall include a provision that only low-risk
				patients will be admitted and that there will be no discrimination according to
				race.
(9) Each patient shall be
				provided with a copy of the fee schedule and policy regarding
				payment.
(10) Admissions to the
				center shall be restricted to low-risk patients who have received antepartum
				care in accordance with the facility's policies. The center's policies and
				procedures regarding management of complications shall be explained by a staff
				physician or certified nurse midwife.
(11) The center shall have written policies
				and procedures for antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and newborn care
				including physician consultation, referral, transfer and transport to the
				hospital and registration of vital records. A written procedure shall be
				established to maintain these policies.
(12) The center shall have a written policy
				regarding visitation or attendance during the birth process.
(13) The mother and newborn shall be
				discharged within twenty-four (24) hours after delivery, in a condition which
				will not endanger the well-being of either the mother or newborn, or shall be
				transferred to a licensed hospital. The mother and newborn will be discharged
				in the care of another responsible adult who will assist in their transport
				from the birth center.
(14) The
				center shall have an organized professional staff which is responsible for the
				development of patient care policies and procedures and for maintaining the
				level of professional performance through a continuing program of staff
				education, and review and evaluation of care. Records of staff attendance at
				educational programs shall be maintained.
(15) The center shall have a medical director
				who is a physician, designated by the governing body, who shall be responsible
				for the direction and coordination of all professional aspects of the center's
				program.
(16) Practitioners
				applying for center privileges shall sign an agreement to abide by the center's
				policies and procedures.
(17) The
				center shall have specific policies and procedures for infection control, which
				include a mechanism for reporting to the Department those infections which
				develop within six (6) weeks after discharge of the patient from the center,
				using forms provided by the Department.
(18) The center shall submit annually to the
				Department a statistical summary of morbidity and mortality data on forms
				supplied by the Department.
(19)
				Nothing in these rules and regulations shall prevent a licensed hospital from
				organizing and providing a birth center as an integral part of its facility, so
				long as the provided services are included in the application under which the
				hospital license is granted.
O.C.G.A. §
											31-2-4; O.C.G.A. §
											31-7-1; O.C.G.A. Chapter 31-7,
				  Article 1.