(a)

1. (1) In general patient areas, each room shall be served by at least one (1) calling station, and each bed shall be provided with a call button.
2. (2) Two (2) call buttons serving adjacent beds may be served by one (1) calling station.

3. (3) Calls shall:

   1. (A) Register with the floor staff at the nurses' station; and
   2. (B) Activate a visible signal at the patient's room and audible signal at the nursing station.
4. (4) In multicorridor nursing units, additional visible signals shall be installed at corridor intersections if patient room lights are not visible from the nurses' station.
5. (5) Nurses' calling systems which provide two-way voice communication shall be equipped with an indicating light at each calling station which lights and remains lighted as long as the voice circuit is operating.

(b)

1. (1) A nurses' call emergency button shall be provided for patients' use at each patient’s toilet, bath, and shower room.
2. (2) These call lights should be so designed that they can only be turned off in the patient area.

(c) Wireless nurse call systems.

1. (1) Facilities may:

   1. (A) Substitute a wireless nurse call system for wired call systems; or
   2. (B) Operate both a wireless and a wired nurse call system in parallel.

2. (2) Wireless nurse call systems shall at a minimum:

   1. (A) Provide a call button at each patient bed, bath, and toilet and at each whirlpool and each physical therapy room;
   2. (B)

(i) Utilize Federal Communications Commission-approved radio frequencies.

1. (ii) Frequencies must not interfere with or disrupt:

(b) (b) Defibrillators; or

1. (c) (c) Other medical equipment;

   1. (C) Receive only signals initiated from the manufacturer’s system;
   2. (D) Provide signal coverage and penetration throughout the entire facility and all facility grounds;
   3. (E) Provide an audible signal to any nurses' station that provides coverage to the room from which the signal originates;

   4. (F)

      1. (i) Provide signaling for all wireless devices utilized by staff to receive the signal.
      2. (ii) Signaling shall:

(b) (b) Display on the receiving device the specific location from which the signal originated; and

1. (G)

   1. (i) Provide escalation.

      1. (ii) “Escalation” means that if a signal is unanswered for a designated period of time, the signal is repeated and sent to other nurses' stations or to facility staff that were not designated to receive the original signal.