Section 211.494 - Statewide trauma care program - Goals - Advisory committee - Components of trauma care system - Coordination of activities - Confidentiality of data - Reports - Administrative regulations(1) A comprehensive statewide trauma care program shall be established within the Department for Public Health. The statewide trauma care program shall consist of, at a minimum, a statewide trauma care director and a state trauma registrar funded through available federal funds or, to the extent that funds are available, by the trauma care system fund established in KRS 211.496. The department may contract with outside entities to perform these functions.(2) The statewide trauma care system shall address, at a minimum, the following goals: (a) To reduce or prevent death and disability from trauma without regard to the patient's insurance coverage or ability to pay for services;(b) To provide optimal care for trauma victims by utilization of best practices protocols and guidelines;(c) To minimize the economic impact of lost wages and productivity for trauma patients; and(d) To contain costs of trauma care.(3)(a) The Department for Public Health shall establish an advisory committee to assist in the development, implementation, and continuation of its duties.(b) The advisory committee shall consist of eighteen (18) members to be appointed by the secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and shall be composed of representatives from the following agencies and organizations: 1. The Department for Public Health;2. The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure;3. The Kentucky Board of Nursing;4. The Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services;5. The Kentucky Medical Association;6. The Kentucky Hospital Association;7. The Kentucky Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons;8. One (1) representative from each verified Level I trauma center;9. One (1) hospital representative from a Level II verified trauma center, one (1) hospital representative from a Level III verified trauma center, and one (1) hospital representative from a Level IV verified trauma center. The Kentucky Hospital Association shall submit recommendations to the secretary for each of the three (3) members appointed under this subdivision;10. The Kentucky Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians;11. The Kentucky Chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association;12. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet;13. Two (2) members at large, one (1) of whom shall be a health care consumer;14. One (1) representative with extensive experience in injury prevention programs; and15. One (1) representative with pediatric trauma experience.(c) Members of the advisory committee shall serve for a period of four (4) years and shall serve until a successor is appointed, except that initial terms shall be staggered and one-third (1/3) of the members shall be appointed to four (4) year terms, one-third (1/3) of the members shall be appointed to three (3) year terms, and one-third (1/3) of the members shall be appointed for two (2) year terms.(d) The advisory committee shall meet at least on a quarterly basis. The committee shall elect a chair, a vice chair, and a secretary from among its members and adopt rules of governance at the first meeting in each fiscal year. The first meeting of the advisory committee shall occur before September 30, 2008.(e) Appointed members shall serve without compensation but may receive reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses relating to the duties of the advisory committee in accordance with state regulations relating to travel reimbursement.(f) Expenses associated with the advisory committee shall be paid by the trauma care system fund established in KRS 211.496, to the extent funds are available.(4) The statewide trauma care director and the advisory committee shall develop and implement a statewide trauma care system, integrated with the public health system for injury prevention, that recognizes levels of care for the appropriate delivery of a full range of medical services to all trauma patients in the Commonwealth. The statewide trauma care system shall include but is not limited to: (a) Development and implementation of trauma prevention and education initiatives;(b) Facilitation of appropriate education and continuing education about trauma care and procedures for physicians, nurses, and emergency medical services personnel;(c) Development and statewide distribution of guidelines and protocols for the care and treatment of trauma victims that include the needs of special populations and are fully integrated with all available resources, including but not limited to emergency medical services, physicians, nurses, and hospitals;(d) Voluntary hospital trauma center verification through the American College of Surgeons or the Department for Public Health;(e) Local and regional triage and transport protocols for use by the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services, emergency medical services providers, and emergency rooms; and(f) Continuing quality assurance and peer review programs.(5) The Department for Public Health or the statewide trauma care director and the advisory committee established in this section shall coordinate activities related to the care of trauma patients with other state agencies and boards that are directly or indirectly involved with care of injured persons. Upon request of the Department for Public Health or the statewide trauma care director, other state agencies and boards shall assist and facilitate the development and implementation of a statewide trauma care system.(6) Data obtained through a trauma registry or other data collected pursuant to KRS 211.490 to 211.496 shall be confidential and for use solely by the Department for Public Health, the statewide trauma care director, the advisory committee, and persons or public or private entities that participate in data collection for the trauma registry. Personal identifying information that is collected for use in the trauma registry shall not be subject to discovery or introduction into evidence in any civil action.(7) The statewide trauma care director shall report information on the status of the development and implementation of the statewide trauma system upon request.(8) The Department for Public Health may promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to implement this section.Amended by 2017 Ky. Acts ch. 80,§ 40, eff. 6/29/2017.Amended by 2012 Ky. Acts ch. 158,§ 45, eff. 7/11/2012. Created 2008, Ky. Acts ch. 25, sec. 3, effective 7/15/2008.