1. 1. “Admitted” means when a patient is either:

   1. a. Held for observation of a trauma-related injury; or
   2. b. Considered an inpatient, as defined in A.A.C. R9-10-201.
2. 2. “Business day” means a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday that is not a state holiday.
3. 3. “Designation” means a formal determination by the Department that a health care institution complies with requirements in A.R.S. § 36-2225 and this Article for providing a particular Level of trauma service.
4. 4. “Emergency department” means a designated area of a hospital that provides emergency services, as defined in A.A.C. R9-10-101, as an organized service, 24 hours per day, seven days per week, to individuals who present for immediate medical services.
5. 5. “ICD-code” means an International Classification of Diseases code, a set of numbers or letters or a combination of letters and numbers that specify a disease, condition, or injury; the location of the disease, condition, or injury; or the circumstances under which a patient may have incurred the disease, condition, or injury, which is used by a health care institution for billing purposes.
6. 6. “Level I Pediatric trauma center” means a Level I trauma center that has a trauma service specifically intended to meet the needs of children requiring trauma care.
7. 7. “Level II Pediatric trauma center” means a Level II trauma center that has a trauma service specifically intended to meet the needs of children requiring trauma care.
8. 8. “Medical services” means the services pertaining to the “practice of medicine,” as defined in A.R.S. § 32-1401, or “medicine,” as defined in A.R.S. § 32-1800, performed at the direction of a physician.
9. 9. “National verification organization” has the same meaning as in A.R.S. § 36-2225.

10. 10. “Nursing services” means services that pertain to the curative, restorative, and preventive aspects of “registered nursing,” as defined in A.R.S. § 32-1601, performed:

    1. a. At the direction of a physician; and

    2. b. By or under the supervision of a registered nurse licensed:

       1. i. According to Title 32, Chapter 15; or
       2. ii. When performed in a health care institution operating under federal or tribal law as an administrative unit of the U.S. government or a sovereign tribal nation, by a similar licensing board in another state.
11. 11. “On-call” means assigned to respond and, if necessary, come to a health care institution when notified by a personnel member of the health care institution.
12. 12. “Organized service” has the same meaning as in A.A.C. R9-10-201.

13. 13. “Owner” means one of the following:

    1. a. For a health care institution licensed under 9 A.A.C. 10, the licensee;
    2. b. For a health care institution operated under federal or tribal laws, the administrative unit of the U.S. government or sovereign tribal nation operating the health care institution.
14. 14. “Personnel member” means an individual providing medical services, nursing services, or health-related services, as defined in A.R.S. § 36-401, to a patient.

15. 15. “Physician” means an individual licensed:

    1. a. According to A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 13 or 17; or
    2. b. When working in a health care institution operating under federal or tribal law as an administrative unit of the U.S. government or a sovereign tribal nation, by a similar licensing board in another state.

16. 16. “Signature” means:

    1. a. A handwritten or stamped representation of an individual’s name or a symbol intended to represent an individual’s name, or
    2. b. An “electronic signature” as defined in A.R.S. § 44-7002.
17. 17. “Substantial compliance” has the same meaning as in A.R.S. § 36-401.
18. 18. “Transport” means the conveyance of a patient by ground ambulance or air ambulance from one location to another location.
19. 19. “Trauma care” means medical services and nursing services provided to a patient suffering from a sudden physical injury.
20. 20. “Trauma center” has the same meaning as in A.R.S. § 36-2225.
21. 21. “Trauma critical care course” means a multidisciplinary class or series of classes consisting of interactive tutorials, skills teaching, and simulated patient management scenarios of trauma care, consistent with training recognized by the American College of Surgeons.
22. 22. “Trauma facility” means a health care institution that provides trauma care to a patient as an organized trauma service.
23. 23. “Trauma service” means designated personnel members, equipment, and area within a health care institution and the associated policies and procedures for the personnel members to follow when providing trauma care to a patient.
24. 24. “Trauma team” means a group of personnel members with defined roles and responsibilities in providing trauma care to a patient.
25. 25. “Trauma team activation” means a notification to respond that is sent to trauma team personnel members in reaction to triage information received concerning a patient with injury or suspected injury.
26. 26. “Verification” means formal confirmation by a national verification organization that a health care institution meets the national verification organization’s standards for providing trauma care at a specific Level of trauma service.

In addition to the definitions in A.R.S. § 36-2201 and R9-25-101, the following definitions apply in this Article, unless otherwise specified:

Historical Note

New Section made by final rulemaking 11 A.A.R. 4363, effective October 6, 2005 (Supp. 05-4). Amended by final rulemaking at 23 A.A.R. 2656, effective January 1, 2018 (Supp. 17-3). Amended by final expedited rulemaking at 29 A.A.R. 2321 (October 6, 2023), with an immediate effective date of September 18, 2023 (Supp. 23-3).