New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 8 - HEALTH › Chapter 40 - MOBILITY ASSISTANCE VEHICLE AND BASIC LIFE SUPPORT AMBULANCE SERVICES › Subchapter 1 - AUTHORITY, SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS › Section 8:40-1.3 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
The following words and terms, as utilized in this chapter, shall
				  have the following meanings, unless the context in which they are utilized clearly
				  indicates otherwise.
"Advanced life support" or "ALS" means an advanced level of
				  pre-hospital, inter-facility or emergency medical care that includes basic life
				  support functions, cardiac monitoring, cardiac defibrillation, telemetered
				  electrocardiography, administration of anti-arrhythmic agents, intravenous (IV)
				  therapy, administration of specific medications, drugs and solutions, utilization of
				  adjunctive ventilation devices, trauma care and other techniques and procedures
				  authorized in writing by the Commissioner.
"Advanced practice nurse" means a person who is validly licensed
				  by the New Jersey Board of Nursing in accordance with the standards set forth at
				  45:11-45 et seq.
"Advertising" means any information directly or indirectly issued,
				  distributed, hand-delivered or implied through any medium and utilized for the
				  purpose of promoting the service of a provider.
"AHA CPR Guidelines" means the "Guidelines 2000 for
				  Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care" as published by the
				  American Heart Association, National Center, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX
				  75231-4596, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented. A copy of
				  the guidelines is on file and available for inspection at the Office of Emergency
				  Medical Services.
"Air medical unit" or "AMU" means a specially equipped helicopter
				  that is validly licensed by the Department and operated in accordance with the
				  standards set forth at N.J.A.C. 8:41.
"Airplane" means, as defined at
				  14 C.F.R. 1.1, an
				  engine-driven fixed-wing aircraft heavier than air, which is supported in flight by
				  the dynamic reaction of the air against its wings.
"ALS inter-facility transfer" means the transportation of a
				  patient in need of advanced life support care from one health care facility to
				  another via a specialty care transport unit or an air medical unit. Mobile intensive
				  care units shall not be utilized to perform ALS inter-facility transfers.
"AMD Standard" means the standards and amendments thereto
				  published by the Ambulance Manufacturers Division of the Truck Body and Equipment
				  Association, as reported by the Federal Specification for the Star-of-Life
				  Ambulance, KKK-A-1822E, Edition E, June 1, 2002. Copies of the standards may be
				  obtained from the General Services Administration, Centralized Mailing List Service
				  (7CAFL), P.O. Box 6477, Fort Worth, Texas, 76115.
"Automated external defibrillator" or "AED" means a device that
				  can be attached to a patient in cardiopulmonary arrest, analyze an electrocardiogram
				  for the presence of potentially lethal dysrhythmias (specifically, ventricular
				  fibrillation and fast ventricular tachycardia), deliver an electrical defibrillation
				  to the patient in accordance with the requirements of standard treatment protocols,
				  and produce an event summary that documents significant events in the utilization of
				  the device, specifically events prior to and after an electrical
				  defibrillation.
"Available" means ready for immediate utilization (pertaining to
				  equipment, vehicles and personnel) or immediately accessible (pertaining to
				  records).
"Basic life support" or "BLS" means a basic level of pre-hospital
				  care that includes patient stabilization, airway clearance and maintenance,
				  cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (to the level of the Professional Rescuer or
				  Health Care Provider as issued by either the American Heart Association, the
				  American Red Cross, the National Safety Council or other entity determined by the
				  Department to comply with AHA CPR Guidelines), hemorrhage control, initial wound
				  care, fracture stabilization, victim extrication and other techniques and procedures
				  as defined in the United States Department of Transportation (U.S.D.O.T.) EMT-Basic
				  National Standards Curriculum (obtainable from The National Highway Traffic Safety
				  Administration, 400 7th Street S.W., Washington, D.C., 20590, by accessing their
				  website at
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ems
or by calling (888) 327-4236).
"Basic life support ambulance" or "BLS ambulance" means an
				  emergency medical services vehicle that is validly licensed by the Department and
				  operated in accordance with the standards set forth in this chapter.
"Basic life support ambulance service" or "BLS ambulance service"
				  means an entity that is validly licensed by the Department to provide pre-hospital
				  basic life support care and/or BLS inter-facility transfers.
"BLS inter-facility transfer" means the transportation of a
				  patient not in need of advanced life support care from one health care facility to
				  another via a basic life support ambulance.
"Cardiac defibrillation" means the discharge of electrical current
				  through the fibrillating myocardium for the purpose of restoring a perfusing cardiac
				  rhythm.
"Certified" or "certification" means official documentation that a
				  person has completed all the requirements of an approved training program and has
				  demonstrated competence in the subject matter to the satisfaction of the certifying
				  agency.
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department
				  of Health and Senior Services.
"Communicable disease" means an illness due to a specific
				  infectious agent or its toxic products, specifically including, but not limited to,
				  those pathogens defined in the Federal bloodborne pathogen standards found at
				  29 C.F.R.
				  1910.1030(b), and which occurs
				  through transmission of that agent or its toxic products from a reservoir to a
				  susceptible host.
"Contaminated" means the presence or the reasonably anticipated
				  presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or
				  surface.
"Controlled dangerous substance" means a drug, substance or
				  immediate precursor identified in Schedules I through V of the New Jersey Controlled
				  Dangerous Substances Act (24:21-5 through
				  24:21-8.1 ). The term shall not include
				  distilled spirits, wine or malt beverages, as those terms are defined or utilized in
				  33:1-1 et seq., or tobacco and tobacco
				  products.
"Convicted" or "conviction" means a finding of guilt by a judge or
				  jury, a guilty plea, a plea of nolo contendere or non-vult or entry into a pre-trial
				  intervention program, or other diversionary program authorized under the statutes of
				  the State of New Jersey or under any other state's statutes.
"CPR certification" means valid certification in cardiopulmonary
				  resuscitation to the level of the Professional Rescuer or Health Care Provider as
				  issued by the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, the National
				  Safety Council or other entity determined by the Department to comply with AHA CPR
				  Guidelines.
"Crashworthy" means that all supplies, equipment, oxygen systems,
				  patient litters and wheelchairs carried on the vehicle shall remain firmly in place
				  and shall not present a hazard to any vehicle occupant in the event of an accident
				  or sudden change in vehicle speed or direction. Crashworthy retention systems shall
				  not incorporate rubber straps, "shock cords" or Velcro (R) -type closures.
				  Crashworthy retention systems for some items are covered by specific Federal
				  standards. The Department's test for crashworthiness of other retention systems is
				  whether the item can be removed from place without unlatching or unbuckling the
				  retention system.
"Crewmember" means any person (including, but not limited to a PAT
				  Technician, MAV Technician or EMT-Basic) who staffs a mobility assistance vehicle or
				  basic life support ambulance.
"Crime" means, in accordance with the New Jersey Code of Criminal
				  Justice, specifically
				  2C:1-4, any offense for which a
				  sentence of imprisonment in excess of six months is authorized.
"Department" means the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior
				  Services.
"Department-Initiated-Out-of-Service" or "DIOOS" means the
				  immediate removal from service of a vehicle by Department staff, such that the
				  vehicle may not be utilized for the provision of any basic and/or advanced life
				  support care. Vehicles removed from service in this manner shall be identified by
				  the placement of an official Department "Out-of-Service" sticker on at least one of
				  the vehicle's windows.
"Disorderly persons offense" or "petty disorderly persons offense"
				  shall have the same meaning as the definition provided by the New Jersey Code of
				  Criminal Justice at N.J.S.A. 2C:1-4, incorporated herein by reference, as amended
				  and supplemented. Generally, such offenses are under the jurisdiction of municipal
				  courts, carry a maximum jail term of six months or less, and are characterized by
				  being minor in nature, not giving rise to the rights of trial by jury or indictment
				  by grand jury. Examples of these offenses include harassment, obstructing a public
				  passage, and fighting in a public place.
"Emergency" means a person's perceived need for immediate medical
				  care in order to prevent death or aggravation of physiological or psychological
				  illness or injury.
"Emergency medical services" or "EMS" means a system for the
				  provision of emergency care and transportation of persons who are sick or injured
				  and in need of immediate medical care.
"Emergency Medical Technician-Basic" or "EMT-Basic" means a person
				  trained in basic life support care and validly certified or recognized by the
				  Commissioner in accordance with the standards for Emergency Medical Technician-Basic
				  certification as set forth at N.J.A.C. 8:40A.
"Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic" or "EMT-Paramedic" means
				  a person trained in advanced life support care and validly certified or recognized
				  by the Commissioner in accordance with the standards for Emergency Medical
				  Technician-Paramedic certification as set forth at N.J.A.C. 8:41A.
"Emergency response" means the provision of pre-hospital basic
				  life support care by crewmembers staffing a basic life support ambulance, and
				  includes those services that are provided after a call has been received by a 9-1-1
				  dispatcher requiring an immediate response (for example, automobile accidents, mass
				  gatherings, special events and stadium/arena EMS services) as well as emergent
				  responses to long-term care facilities that may or may not be routed through a 9-1-1
				  dispatcher.
"Federal Specification, KKK-A-1822," means the most current
				  specification and amendments thereto, currently entitled: "Federal Specification for
				  the Star-of-Life Ambulance KKK-A-1822E," Edition E, June 1, 2002, incorporated
				  herein by reference, as amended and supplemented. Copies of the standards may be
				  obtained from the General Services Administration, Centralized Mailing List Service
				  (7CAFL), P.O. Box 6477, Forth Worth, Texas 76115.
"FMVSS" means Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, as set forth
				  at 49 C.F.R. 571, incorporated herein by reference. Copies of the standards may be
				  obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C.
"General hospital" shall have the meaning provided at
				  8:43G-1.3(b)  1, as
				  amended and supplemented.
"Health care facility" means a facility so defined in the Health
				  Care Facilities Planning Act, N.J.S.A. 26:2H-1.1 et seq.
"Helicopter" means a heavier-than-air aircraft that depends
				  principally for its support in flight on the lift generated by one or more
				  rotors.
"Impervious" means not allowing liquids or dirt to penetrate the
				  surface of the material. For the purposes of this chapter, impervious surfaces do
				  not include coverings made of or containing carpet, velour or cloth.
"In-service" means the presence of a mobility assistance vehicle
				  or basic life support ambulance at a sending or receiving health care facility; the
				  picking up, transporting or discharging of any patient; or any instance where the
				  mobility assistance vehicle or basic life support ambulance is ready to accept
				  patients and perform mobility assistance or basic life support care.
"JEMS (Jersey Emergency Medical Services) Communications Plan"
				  means the authorized communications plan for emergency medical services, as issued
				  by the Department. Copies of the plan are available, for a fee, from the Office of
				  Emergency Medical Services.
"License" or "licensed" means validly licensed by the Commissioner
				  in accordance with the standards for licensure as set forth in this chapter.
"MAV crewmember" means any person identified at
				  8:40-5.3 as being necessary to meet the
				  minimum personnel requirements for a mobility assistance vehicle.
"Medical director" means the physician responsible for the medical
				  oversight of the operations of a basic life support ambulance service that provides
				  emergency response. The specific criteria required of a medical director are set
				  forth at 8:40-6.15.
"Medical record" means any information and/or reports (including,
				  but not limited to, patient care reports) that describe a person's physical
				  condition and/or medical history.
"Mobile intensive care unit" or "MICU" means a specialized
				  emergency medical services vehicle that is validly licensed by the Department and
				  operated in accordance with the standards set forth at N.J.A.C. 8:41.
"Mobility assistance vehicle" or "MAV" means a specialized
				  transport vehicle that is validly licensed by the Department and operated in
				  accordance with the standards set forth in this chapter.
"Mobility assistance vehicle service" or "MAV service" means an
				  entity that is validly licensed by the Department to provide non-emergency health
				  care transportation of sick, infirm or otherwise disabled persons who are under the
				  care or supervision of a physician or other recognized health care provider and
				  whose medical condition is not of sufficient magnitude or gravity to require
				  transportation in a basic life support ambulance, but does require transportation
				  from place to place for medical care, and whose utilization of an alternate form of
				  transportation, such as taxicab, bus, other public conveyance or private vehicle,
				  might create a serious risk to life and health. This service was formerly known as
				  invalid coach service prior to the enactment of
				  30:4D-3a.
"Mobility assistance vehicle technician" or "MAVT" means an
				  individual who has successfully completed the requirements of the mobility
				  assistance vehicle technician's course standards as listed in chapter Appendix B,
				  incorporated herein by reference, and established by the mobility assistance vehicle
				  technician course faculty.
"Non volunteer" means a non volunteer basic life support ambulance
				  service. Includes those agencies that bill patients or insurers for services,
				  hospital-operated services, proprietary services, municipally-operated ambulance
				  services, services operated by a paid municipal fire department, services operated
				  by a paid municipal police department, industrial first aid squads or State-operated
				  ambulances.
"Office of Emergency Management" means the Office of Emergency
				  Management of the New Jersey State Police, Division Headquarters, PO Box 7068, West
				  Trenton, New Jersey, 08625. The telephone number for the Office of Emergency
				  Management is (609) 882-2000.
"Office of Emergency Medical Services" or "OEMS" means the Office
				  of Emergency Medical Services in the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior
				  Services, PO Box 360, Trenton, New Jersey, 08625. The telephone number for OEMS is
				  (609) 633-7777.
"Passenger assistance techniques" or "PAT" means a training
				  program developed by the Transportation Management Associates, Fort Worth Texas. The
				  training program is designed to provide drivers of mobility assistance vehicles the
				  necessary basic skills to safely and effectively assist and transport ambulatory and
				  wheelchair bound patients in their care.
"Patient" means any person who is ill or injured, living or
				  deceased and with whom a crewmember has established physical or verbal
				  contact.
"Patient care report" means the written documentation completed
				  each time a crewmember makes physical or verbal contact with a patient.
"Pediatric" means the period of time beginning with the 29th day
				  following birth up to, but not including, a person's thirteenth birthday.
"Petty disorderly persons offense" means an offense as defined at
				  2C:1-4.
"Physician" means a person who is validly licensed by the New
				  Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners in accordance with the standards set forth
				  at 45:9-6.
"Physician assistant" means a person who is validly licensed by
				  the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners in accordance with the standards set
				  forth at N.J.S.A. 45:9-27.1 3.
"Positive latching mechanism" means a latching mechanism that
				  requires the manual release of the latching device. This does not include magnetic
				  or friction-type latches.
"Pre-hospital" means the period of time prior to the delivery of a
				  patient to a physician or registered nurse at a general hospital or satellite
				  emergency department.
"Provider" means a mobility assistance vehicle service or basic
				  life support ambulance service. By virtue of such status, the provider shall assume
				  full legal responsibility for the delivery of services and shall be held accountable
				  for the actions of its crewmembers in the event that there are violations of any
				  State or Federal licensing standards.
"Provider-Initiated-Out-of-Service" or "PIOOS" means the temporary
				  removal from service of a vehicle by the provider. A provider may choose to remove a
				  vehicle from service for various reasons including, but not limited to, when the
				  vehicle is in transit for repairs, when being utilized for official administrative
				  duties or when being utilized in a parade or similar ceremony. Vehicles removed from
				  service in this manner shall be identified by the placement of a placard in one of
				  the vehicle's windows.
"Receiving health care facility" means a general hospital, nursing
				  home, physician's office, outpatient facility or rehabilitation facility to which a
				  patient is transferred following evaluation and/or treatment.
"Registered nurse" means a person who is validly licensed by the
				  New Jersey State Board of Nursing in accordance with the standards set forth at
				  45:11-26.
"Regulated medical waste" means, as defined at
				  7:26-3A.5, those medical wastes that
				  have been listed or meet the waste characteristic classification criteria described
				  at 7:26-3A.6 and that must be managed in
				  accordance with the requirements of N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.
"Revocation" or "revoked" means the permanent voiding, withdrawal
				  and/or cancellation of a license or certification.
"Satellite emergency department" means a facility that is owned
				  and operated by a general hospital, which provides emergency care and
				  treatment.
"Specialty care transport unit" or "SCTU" means a specialized
				  transport medical service vehicle that is validly licensed by the Department and
				  operated in accordance with the standards set forth at N.J.A.C. 8:41.
"Star of Life" means the symbol described in certification of
				  registration number 1,058,022, which the United States Commissioner of Patents and
				  Trademarks has issued to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"Untreated regulated medical waste" means regulated medical waste,
				  as defined in this subchapter, which has not been treated to substantially reduce or
				  eliminate its potential for causing disease.
"Valid" or "validly" means original (not a photo copy), current,
				  up-to-date, not expired, in effect and/or not past the renewal date required by the
				  issuer.
"Vehicle" means a mobility assistance vehicle or basic life
				  support ambulance, as defined in this subchapter.
"Volunteer ambulance, first aid or rescue squad" means, in
				  accordance with
				  27:5F-20, an ambulance, first aid or
				  rescue squad that provides emergency medical services without receiving payment for
				  those services. Whether the members of a squad provide their services for free or
				  are compensated by the squad is irrelevant to a squad's volunteer status.