Ariz. Admin. Code § 9-25-901
Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 50, December 13, 2024
Section R9-25-901 - Definitions (Authorized by A.R.S. Section 36-2202 (A))In addition to the definitions in A.R.S. § 36-2201 and R9-25-101, the following definitions apply in Articles 9, 10, 11, and 12 unless otherwise specified:
1. "Accounting period" means a continuous 12-month span of time used by an applicant or a certificate holder for purposes of planning, budgeting, or annual financial reporting to the Department.2. "Adjustment" means a modification, correction, or alteration to a rate or charge.3. "ALS base rate" means the monetary amount set by the Department for a certificate holder to bill a patient according to A.R.S. § 36-2239(F).4. "Ambulance response" means EMS provided by a ground ambulance service.5. "Ambulance Revenue and Cost Report" means the information required in R9-25-909, which records and reports the financial activities of an applicant or a certificate holder.6. "Application packet" means the information, applicable fees, and documents required by the Department when making a decision for certification, licensure, or approval of a request.7. "Back-up agreement" means a written arrangement, which may include one of the following, between a certificate holder and a neighboring or overlapping certificate holder to allow one of the certificate holders to provide ambulance response or transport within the other certificate holder's service area on a limited basis when the certificate holder's ambulances are temporarily not able to provide needed services in the certificate holder's service area: a. A mutual aid agreement, orb. A Memorandum of Understanding.8. "BLS base rate" means the monetary amount set by the Department for a certificate holder to bill a patient according to A.R.S. § 36-2239(G).9. "Certificate holder" means a person to whom the Department issues a certificate of necessity.10. "Certificate of registration" means an authorization issued by the Department to a certificate holder to operate a ground ambulance vehicle.11. "Change of ownership" means a transfer of controlling legal or controlling financial interest and authority in a ground ambulance service, as demonstrated according to R9-25-904(A)(1). 12. "Charge" means the monetary amount billed for disposable supplies, medical supplies, medication, and oxygen-related costs used in providing care to a patient.13. "Chassis" means the part of a ground ambulance vehicle consisting of all base components, including front and rear suspension, exhaust system, brakes, engine, engine hood or cover, transmission, front and rear axles, front fenders, drive train and shaft, fuel system, engine air intake and filter, accelerator pedal, steering wheel, tires, heating and cooling system, battery, and operating controls and instruments.14. "Controlling person" means an individual who:a. Owns at least a 20% interest in the business organization that operates or is applying to operate as a ground ambulance service;b. If an applicant or certificate holder is a partnership, is a general partner or is a limited partner who holds at least 20% of the voting rights of the partnership;c. If an applicant or certificate holder is a corporation, association, or limited liability company, is the president, chief executive officer, or incorporator, or an individual who owns or controls at least 20% of the voting securities; ord. Is responsible for the overall day-to-day management and operation of the ground ambulance service.15. "Contract rate or range of rates" means the monetary amount established by the Department according to R9-25-1103. 16. "Convalescent transport" means a ground ambulance service's response to a request for ambulance response or transport that is: a. Not an interfacility transport, andb. Pre-arranged to occur at a specific time.17. "Critical care rate" means the monetary amount that is set by the Department for a certificate holder to bill a patient for critical care services.18. "Critical care services" means care provided during an interfacility transport to a patient who has an illness or injury acutely or chronically impairing one or more organ systems, such that the conditions are life-threatening and require constant monitoring to avoid deterioration of the patient's condition.19. "Dispatch" means the direction to a certificate holder or an emergency medical services provider to respond to a call for ambulance response or transport.20. "Driver's compartment" means the part of a ground ambulance vehicle that contains the controls and instruments for operation of the ground ambulance vehicle.21. "Financial statements" means an applicant's balance sheet, annual income statement, and annual cash flow statement, or corresponding documents if applicable to the type of business organization, prepared according to the conventions, and rules and procedures for accounting, including broad and specific guidelines, established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or the Governmental Accounting Standards Board.22. "Frame" means the structural foundation on which a ground ambulance vehicle chassis is constructed.23. "General public rate" means the monetary amount set by the Department for a certificate holder to bill a patient for critical care services, ALS services, BLS services, mileage, standby waiting, or according to a subscription service contract.24. "Generally accepted accounting principles" means the conventions, and rules and procedures for accounting, including broad and specific guidelines, established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. 25. "Gross revenue" means the total monetary amount billed by a certificate holder during an accounting period, prior to any deductions, for providing ambulance response or transport. 26. "Ground ambulance service" means an ambulance service that operates on land.27. "Ground ambulance service contract" means a written agreement between a certificate holder and a person for the provision of ambulance response or transport.28. "Ground ambulance vehicle" means a motor vehicle, defined in A.R.S. § 28-101, specifically designed to carry ambulance attendants and patients on land. 29. "Level of service" means critical care services, ALS services, or BLS services, based on the type of ambulance attendants and the services provided by the ground ambulance service.30. "Major defect" means a condition that exists on a ground ambulance vehicle that makes the ground ambulance vehicle unsafe to use for providing transport.31. "Mileage rate" means the monetary amount set by the Department for a certificate holder to bill for transport of a patient for each mile traveled during the transport.32. "Minor defect" means a condition that exists on a ground ambulance vehicle that may cause the ground ambulance vehicle to become unsafe to use for providing transport if allowed to continue. 33. "Out-of-service" means a ground ambulance vehicle cannot be operated for transport.34. "Patient compartment" means the part of a ground ambulance vehicle that is intended to hold a patient during transport.35. "Priority" means whether a response mode to a dispatch, on the basis of the information available to the certificate holder, is:a. Emergent, that is, an immediate response is required due to a patient's perceived condition; orb. Non-emergent, that is, a response is required at a time appropriate to a patient's perceived condition.36. "Public necessity" means that a need exists within an identified population and service area for all or part of the services proposed by an applicant or determined by the Department. 37. "Response time" means the difference between the time a certificate holder receives:a. A 9-1-1 or similar system dispatch and the time the certificate holder's first ground ambulance vehicle arrives at the scene; orb. A request for an interfacility transport of a patient with a time-critical condition and the time the certificate holder's ground ambulance vehicle arrives at the health care institution to provide transport. .
38. "Scene locality" means: a. an urban area, a geographic region delineated as an urbanized area by the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census;b. A suburban area, a geographic region within a 10-mile radius of an urban area that has a population density equal to or greater than 1,000 residents per square mile;c. A rural area, a geographic region with a population of less than 40,000 residents that is not a suburban area; ord. A wilderness area, a geographic region that has a population density of less than one resident per square mile.39. "Scheduled transport" means to convey a patient at a prearranged time by a ground ambulance vehicle for which an immediate dispatch and response is not necessary.40. "Service area" means the geographical boundary designated on a certificate of necessity using the criteria in A.R.S. § 36-2233(I). 41. "Standby waiting rate" means the monetary amount set by the Department for a certificate holder to bill a patient when a ground ambulance vehicle is required to wait in excess of 15 minutes to load or unload the patient, unless the excess delay is caused by the ground ambulance vehicle or the ambulance attendants on the ground ambulance vehicle.42. "Subscription service" means the provision of ambulance response or transport by a certificate holder to a group of individuals within the certificate holder's service area who contracted with the certificate holder for coverage to provide ambulance response or transport and the allocation of annual costs among the group of individuals.43. "Subscription service contract" means a written agreement for subscription service.44. "Subscription service rate" means the monetary amount set by the Department for a certificate holder to bill to a person for coverage under a subscription service contract. .
45. "Third-party payor" means a person, other than a patient, who is financially responsible for the payment, in whole or in part, of a patient's billed general public rates and charges for ambulance response or transport provided to the patient by a ground ambulance service.46. "Time-critical condition" means a patient's illness or injury, such as ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction, stroke, trauma that meets the criteria in R9-25-1308(H)(6)(b)(i), or hemodynamic instability, for which research has shown that a transport to a specialized health care institution or a higher level of care improves patient outcomes.47. "Time-sensitive condition" means a patient's illness or injury for which, in the opinion of one of the following, a delay in the patient receiving appropriate medical services may result in harm to the patient:a. For an interfacility transport, a physician, physician assistant, or registered nurse practitioner providing medical services to the patient; andb. For a transport that results from a 9-1-1 or similar system dispatch, an EMCT or the physician providing on-line medical direction for the patient.48. "Transport" means the conveyance of one or more patients in a ground ambulance vehicle from the point of patient pick-up to a specified destination.49. "Type of service" means an interfacility transport, a convalescent transport, or a transport that results from a 9-1-1 or similar system dispatch, which is provided by a ground ambulance service. .
Ariz. Admin. Code § R9-25-901
New Section adopted by final rulemaking at 7 A.A.R. 1098, effective February 13, 2001 (Supp. 01-1). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 19 A.A.R. 4032, effective December 1, 2013 (Supp. 13-4). Amended by final rulemaking at 30 A.A.R. 581, effective 3/7/2024.