Virginia Administrative Code › Title 12 - HEALTH › Agency 5 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Chapter 410 - REGULATIONS FOR THE LICENSURE OF HOSPITALS IN VIRGINIA › Part II - Organization and Operation of General and Special Hospitals › Article 2 - Patient Care Services › Section 12VAC5-410-280 - Emergency service

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. Hospitals
					 with an emergency department or service shall have 24-hour staff coverage and
					 shall have at least one physician on call at all times. Hospitals without
					 emergency service shall have written policies governing the handling of
					 emergencies.
B. No fewer than one
					 registered nurse shall be assigned to the emergency service on each shift. Such
					 assignment need not be exclusive of other duties, but must have priority over
					 all other assignments.
C. Those
					 hospitals that provide ambulance services shall comply with Article 2.1 (§
											32.1-111.1 et seq.) of Chapter 4
					 of Title 32.1 of the Code of Virginia and 12VAC5-31.
D. The hospital shall provide equipment,
					 drugs, supplies, and ancillary services commensurate with the scope of
					 anticipated needs, including radiology and laboratory services and facilities
					 for handling and administering of blood and blood products. Emergency drugs and
					 equipment shall remain accessible in the emergency department at all
					 times.
E. Current roster of medical
					 staff members on emergency call, including alternates and medical specialists
					 or consultants shall be posted in the emergency department.
F. Hospitals shall make special training
					 available, as required, for emergency department personnel.
G. Toxicology reference material and poison
					 antidote information shall be available along with telephone numbers of the
					 nearest poison control centers.
H.
					 Each emergency department shall post notice of the existence of a human
					 trafficking hotline to alert possible witnesses or victims of human trafficking
					 to the availability of a means to gain assistance or report crimes. This notice
					 shall be in a place readily visible and accessible to the public, such as the
					 patient admitting area or public or patient restrooms. The notice shall meet
					 the requirements of §
											40.1-11.3C of
					 the Code of Virginia.
I. Every
					 hospital with an emergency department shall establish a security plan for each
					 emergency department that:
1. Is developed
					 using standards established in the Healthcare Security Industry Guidelines,
					 13th Edition (International Association for Healthcare Security and
					 Safety);
2. Is based on:
a. The results of a security risk assessment
					 of each emergency department location of the hospital; and
b. Risks for the emergency department
					 identified in consultation with the emergency department medical director and
					 nurse director, including:
(1) Trauma level
					 designation;
(2) Overall patient
					 volume;
(3) Volume of psychiatric
					 and forensic patients;
(4)
					 Incidents of violence against staff;
(5) Level of injuries sustained from such
					 violence; and
(6) Prevalence of
					 crime in the community;
3. Includes the presence of one or more
					 off-duty law-enforcement officers or trained security personnel in the
					 emergency department at all times, except as provided in subsection L of this
					 section, and as indicated to be necessary and appropriate by the security risk
					 assessment; and
4. Outlines
					 training requirements for security personnel in:
a. The potential use of and response to
					 weapons;
b. Defensive
					 tactics;
c. De-escalation
					 techniques;
d. Appropriate physical
					 restraint and seclusion techniques;
e. Crisis intervention;
f. Trauma-informed approaches; and
g. Safely addressing situations involving
					 patients, family members, or other persons who pose a risk of harm to
					 themselves or others due to mental illness or substance abuse or who are
					 experiencing a mental health crisis.