W. Va. Code R. § 64-27-8 - [Effective 7/1/2025] Categorization of Facilities for Emergency Care Capabilities

8.1. Pursuant to W. Va. Code § 16-4C-18, emergency medical services personnel under the direction of medical command shall determine the appropriate facility to which a patient shall be transported. In order to provide the necessary information to medical command, OEMS may develop and implement policies and procedures to categorize the emergency care capability of all facilities receiving emergency medical patients.

8.2. Specific Categories of Care. OEMS may require facilities applying for designation as a trauma center to provide additional information in order to determine the categorization of level of care capability of the facility in other areas of emergency care including, but not limited to, cardiac care, general emergency care, stroke and neurological conditions, pediatric emergencies, burns, psychiatric emergencies, respiratory conditions, poisoning and toxicology, and obstetrics and gynecology.

8.3. Guidelines for Categorization Process. Policies and procedures for the process, criteria for categories of care, and level of care capabilities shall be developed by the State MPCC, pursuant to "Emergency Medical Services", 64CSR48.

8.3.1. OEMS may conduct a verification site visit to confirm the categorization information in order to determine the resources and level of care capability of a facility to assist medical command with appropriate facility destination decisions.

8.3.2. If a facility fails to cooperate and participate in the categorization process, the Secretary may revoke the facility's trauma center designation. OEMS may enter the facility in order to accumulate necessary information to evaluate the facility's care capability.

8.3.3. Using the categorization information, the OEMS Medical Direction System shall develop triage policies and procedures for use by medical command in determining the most appropriate destination to which a patient should be transported.

8.3.4. Facilities shall notify the state EMS medical director in writing of any changes to the level of care within each category. OEMS may then obtain additional information or conduct a site visit to confirm the changes and notify the facility and medical command of any change in the categorization of a facility.

8.3.5. Facility categorization shall be updated during a facility's trauma designation re-certification process, or any time information is obtained by OEMS which may indicate a change in categorization is warranted.

Notes

W. Va. Code R. § 64-27-8