La. Admin. Code tit. 48 § I-9585

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section I-9585 - Organization and Staffing

A. The organization of services shall be appropriate to the scope of burn center services offered. The burn center shall employ and define the leadership structure in accordance with the facility's administration. All staff shall be licensed and credentialed as required by their respective discipline.

B. Medical Director

1. The medical director of the burn center shall:

a. be designated by the institution, with the appropriate authority and responsibility, to direct and coordinate all medical services to patients admitted to the burn center;

b. be a currently licensed, board-certified general surgeon or plastic surgeon on the active medical staff of the institution responsible for the management of burn patients in a burn center, with at least two years' experience during the previous five years, or have completed a burn fellowship;

c. be responsible for regular communications with physicians and other authorities regarding referred patients, and for appropriate burn center management functions, including:

i. quality assurance;

ii. liaison with adjacent burn centers;

iii. internal and external education programs; and

iv. coordination with regional or state EMS programs, where they exist, and the Louisiana Emergency Response Network; and

d. direct the burn care of at least 50 inpatient or outpatient acutely burned patients annually over a three-year period. For facilities that treat acutely burned pediatric patients, the burn center director shall have directed the burn care of at least 25 inpatient or outpatient pediatric cases annually over a three-year period.

2. Medical care to burn center patients shall be provided by the burn center medical director, or other appropriately licensed, board-certified or board eligible physicians operating with the medical director's approval, and utilizing standard burn center patient care protocols.

3. The medical director shall designate one or more appropriately licensed, board-certified or board eligible physician(s) with at least six months experience in the management of the patient with burns, to be accessible for administrative and clinical decisions when the medical director is not available.

C. Nurse Manager

1. The nurse manager shall be a Registered Nurse (RN) who is currently licensed to practice in the state of Louisiana and has at least three years of experience as a RN. Two of these years shall consist of full-time experience in providing direct patient care in an intensive care setting, and one of these years shall consist of full-time experience in providing direct patient care in a burn center.

D. Registered Dietician

1. A registered dietitian, currently licensed to practice in Louisiana, with critical care and burn care experience, shall be available for consultation to burn center medical staff, nursing staff, and patients, as needed.

E. Registered Pharmacist

1. A clinical registered pharmacist, currently licensed to practice in Louisiana, shall be available for consultation to burn center medical staff, nursing staff, and patients, as needed.

2. The registered pharmacist licensed to practice in Louisiana, shall have critical care and burn care experience.

F. Respiratory Therapy

1. Respiratory therapists, currently licensed to practice in Louisiana, shall be available to participate in the assessment and treatment of all burn center patients, as needed.

G. Staff Specialists

1. Board certified and credentialed staff, currently licensed to practice in Louisiana in the following surgical specialties, shall be available as needed:

a. general;

b. cardiothoracic;

c. neurologic;

d. obstetric/gynecologic;

e. ophthalmologic;

f. oral;

g. orthopedic;

h. otorhinolaryngologic;

I. pediatric, where applicable;

j. plastics; and

k . urologic.

2. Board certified and credentialed staff, currently licensed to practice in Louisiana in the following nonsurgical specialties, shall be available as needed:

a. anesthesiology;

b. cardiology;

c. gastroenterology;

d. hematology;

e. infectious disease;

f. internal medicine;

g. nephrology;

h. neurology;

i. pathology;

j. pediatrics, where applicable;

k. physiatry;

l. psychiatry;

m. pulmonary; and

n. radiology.

3. A board certified surgeon, currently licensed to practice in Louisiana, shall be involved, as needed, in the management of patients with burns for a minimum of 150 annual inpatient admissions to the burn center.

4. Staff specialists shall be available, as needed, for consultation in the specialties listed above. The initial response may be provided by resident physician(s), designated nurse practitioner(s), or physician assistant(s) who are capable of assessing emergency situations in their respective specialties, with appropriate supervision, and who can provide any immediately indicated treatment.

5. The availability and accessibility of consultation by current licensed to practice in Louisiana, board certified physicians and surgeons in all specialties relevant to the care of the patient with burns shall be documented.

H. Other Staff

1. The following staff shall be available to the burn service, as needed:

a. clinical psychologist(s)and/or psychiatrist(s);

b. member(s) of clergy;

c. social worker;

d. case manager(s); and/or

e. child life specialist, where applicable.

La. Admin. Code tit. 48, § I-9585

Promulgated by the Department of Health, Health Standards Section, LR 501495 (10/1/2024).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S.36:254 and R.S. 40:2100-2115.