The hospital must meet the needs of the patients in accordance with acceptable standards of practice. The following requirements apply if the hospital provides respiratory care service.

(a) Standard: Organization and Staffing. The organization of the respiratory care services must be appropriate to the scope and complexity of the services offered.

(1) There must be a director of respiratory care services who is a doctor of medicine or osteopathy with the knowledge experience, and capabilities to supervise and administer the service properly. The director may serve on either a full-time or part-time basis.

(2) There must be adequate numbers of respiratory therapists, respiratory therapy technicians, and other personnel who meet the qualifications specified by the medical staff, consistent with State law.

(b) Standard: Delivery of Services. Services must be delivered in accordance with medical staff directives.

(1) Personnel qualified to perform specific procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing.

(2) If blood gases or other laboratory tests are performed in the respiratory care unit, the unit must meet the applicable requirements for laboratory services specified in §482.27.

(3) Services must only be provided under the orders of a qualified and licensed practitioner who is responsible for the care of the patient, acting within his or her scope of practice under State law, and who is authorized by the hospital's medical staff to order the services in accordance with hospital policies and procedures and State laws.

(4) All respiratory care services orders must be documented in the patient's medical record in accordance with the requirements at §482.24.

[51 FR 22042, June 17, 1986; 51 FR 27848, Aug. 4, 1986, as amended at 57 FR 7136, Feb. 28, 1992; 75 FR 50418, Aug. 16, 2010]