0720-21-.01
Definitions
Cite as Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-21-.01
(1)
Abuse. The willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or punishment
with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish.
(2)
Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s). Those personal functional activities which indicate an
individual’s independence in eating, dressing, personal hygiene, bathing, toileting, and
moving from one place to another.
(3)
Adult. An individual who has capacity and is at least 18 years of age.
(4)
Advance Directive. An individual instruction or a written statement relating to the subsequent
provision of health care for the individual, including, but not limited to, a living will or a durable
power of attorney for health care.
(5)
Aged. A person who is fifty-five (55) years of age or older.
(6)
Agent. An individual designated in an advance directive for health care to make a health care
decision for the individual granting the power.
(7)
Ambulatory Resident. A resident who is physically and mentally capable under emergency
conditions of finding a way to safety without physical assistance from another person. An
ambulatory resident may use a cane, wheelchair or other supportive device and may require
verbal prompting.
(8)
Board. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities.
(9)
Capacity. An individual’s ability to understand the significant benefits, risks, and alternatives
to proposed health care and to make and communicate a health care decision. These
regulations do not affect the right of a resident to make health care decisions while having the
capacity to do so. A resident shall be presumed to have capacity to make a health care
decision, to give or revoke an advance directive, and to designate or disqualify a surrogate.
Any person who challenges the capacity of a resident shall have the burden of proving lack of
capacity.
(10) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). The administering of any means or device to restore
or support cardiopulmonary function in a resident, whether by mechanical devices, chest
compressions, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, cardiac massage, tracheal intubation, manual
or mechanical ventilators or respirations, defibrillation, the administration of drugs and/or
STANDARDS FOR HOMES FOR THE AGED
CHAPTER 0720-21
chemical agents intended to restore cardiac and/or respiratory functions in a resident where
cardiac or respiratory arrest has occurred or is believed to be imminent.
(11) Commissioner. The Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health or his or her
authorized representative.
(12) Department. The Tennessee Department of Health.
(13) Designated Physician. A physician designated by an individual or the individual’s agent,
guardian, or surrogate, to have primary responsibility for the individual’s health care or, in the
absence of designation or if the designated physician is not reasonably available, a physician
who undertakes such responsibility.
(14) Do-Not-Resuscitate Order (DNR). A written order, other than a POST, not to resuscitate a
patient in cardiac or respiratory arrest in accordance with accepted medical practices.
(15) Emancipated Minor. Any minor who is or has been married or has by court order or otherwise
been freed from the care, custody and control of the minor’s parents.
(16) Emergency. Any situation or condition which presents an imminent danger of death or
serious physical or mental harm to residents.
(17) Emergency Responder. A paid or volunteer firefighter, law enforcement officer, or other
public safety official or volunteer acting within the scope of his or her proper function under
law or rendering emergency care at the scene of an emergency.
(18) Evacuation Capability. The ability to either evacuate the building or move to a point of safety.
(19) Guardian. A judicially appointed guardian of conservator having authority to make a health
care decision.
(20) Hazardous Waste. Materials whose handling, use, storage, and disposal are governed by
local, state, or federal regulations.
(21) Health Care. Any care, treatment, service or procedure to maintain, diagnose, treat, or
otherwise affect an individual’s physical or mental condition, and includes medical care as
defined in T.C.A. § 32-11-103(5).
(22) Health Care Decision. Consent, refusal or consent or withdrawal of consent to health care.
(23) Health Care Decision-Maker. In the case of a resident who lacks capacity, the resident’s
health care decision-maker is one of the following: the resident’s health care agent as
specified in an advance directive, the resident’s court-appointed guardian or conservator with
healthcare decision-making authority, the resident’s surrogate as determined pursuant to
Rule 0720-21-.12 or T.C.A. § 33-3-220, the designated physician pursuant to these rules or
in the case of a minor child, the person having custody or legal guardianship.
(24) Health Care Institution. A health care institution as defined in T.C.A. § 68-11-1602.
(25) Health Care Provider A person who si licensed, certified or otherwise authorized or permitted
by the laws of this state to administer health care in the ordinary course of business or
practice of a profession.
(26) Holding Out to the Public. Advertising or soliciting the public through the use of personal,
telephone, mail or other forms of communication to provide information about services
provided by the facility.
STANDARDS FOR HOMES FOR THE AGED
CHAPTER 0720-21
(27) Home for the Aged. A home represented and held out to the general public as a home which
accepts primarily aged persons for relatively permanent, domiciliary care with primarily being
defined as 51% or more of the population of the home for the aged. It provides room, board
and personal services to four (4) or more nonrelated persons. The term home includes any
building or part thereof which provides services as defined in these rules.
(28) Home for the Aged Resident. A person who is ambulatory and who requires permanent,
domiciliary care but who will be transferred to a licensed hospital, licensed nursing home or
licensed assisted care living facility when health care services are needed which must be
provided in such other facilities.
(29) Incompetent. A resident who has been adjudicated incompetent by a court of competent
jurisdiction and has not been restored to legal capacity.
(30) Individual Instruction. An individual’s direction concerning a health care decision for the
individual.
(31) Infectious Waste. Solid or liquid wastes which contain pathogens with sufficient virulence and
quantity such that exposure to the waste by a susceptible host could result in an infectious
disease.
(32) Licensee. The person or entity to whom the license is issued. The licensee is held
responsible for compliance with all rules and regulations.
(33) Life Threatening or Serious Injury. Injury requiring the patient to undergo significant additional
diagnostic or treatment measures.
(34) Medically Inappropriate Treatment Resuscitation efforts that cannot be expected either to
restore cardiac or respiratory function to the resident or other medical or surgical treatments
to achieve the expressed goals of the informed resident. In the case of the incompetent
resident, the resident’s representative expresses the goals of the resident.
(35) N.F.P.A. The National Fire Protection Association.
(36) Misappropriation of Patient/Resident Property. The deliberate misplacement, exploitation or
wrongful, temporary or permanent use of an individual’s belongings or money without the
individual’s consent.
(37) Neglect. The failure to provide goods and services necessary to avoid physical harm, mental
anguish or mental illness; however, the withholding of authorization for or provision of
medical care to any terminally ill person who has executed an irrevocable living will in
accordance with the Tennessee Right to Natural Death Law, or other applicable state law, if
the provision of such medical care would conflict with the terms of the living will, shall not be
deemed “neglect” for purposes of these rules.
(38) Person. An individual, corporation, estate, trust, partnership, association, joint venture,
government, governmental subdivision, agency or instrumentality, or any other legal or
commercial entity.
(39) Personal Services. Those services that are rendered to residents who need supervision or
assistance in activities of daily living. Personal services must include protective care of the
resident, responsibility for the safety of the resident when in the facility, daily awareness of
the resident’s whereabouts and the ability and readiness to intervene if crises arise. Personal
services do not include nursing or medical care.
STANDARDS FOR HOMES FOR THE AGED
CHAPTER 0720-21
(40) Personally Informing. A communication by any effective means from the resident directly to a
health care provider.
(41) Physician Assistant. A person who has graduated from a physician assistant educational
program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician
Assistant, has passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, and is
currently licensed in Tennessee as a physician assistant under Title 63, Chapter 19.
(42) Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment or POST. Written orders that:
(a)
Are on a form approved by the Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities;
(b)
Apply regardless of the treatment setting and that are signed as required herein by the
patient’s physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist;
and
(c)
1.
Specify whether, in the event the patient suffers cardiac or respiratory arrest,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation should or should not be attempted;
2.
Specify other medical interventions that are to be provided or withheld; or
3.
Specify both 1. and 2.
(43) Power of Attorney for Health Care. The designation of an agent to make health care
decisions for the individual granting the power under T.C.A. Title 34, Chapter 6, Part 2.
(44) Qualified Emergency Medical Service Personnel. Includes, but shall not be limited to,
emergency services personnel providers, or entities acting within the usual course of their
professions, and other emergency responders.
(45) Reasonably Available. Readily able to be contacted without undue effort and willing and able
to act in a timely manner considering the urgency of the resident’s health care needs. Such
availability shall include, but not limited to, availability by telephone.
(46) Responsible Attendant. The person designated by the licensee who remains awake to
provide personal services to the residents. In the absence of the licensee, the responsible
attendant is responsible for ensuring the home complies with all rules and regulations.
(47) Secured Unit. A facility or distinct part of a facility where the residents are intentionally denied
egress by any means.
(48) Shall or Must. Compliance is mandatory.
(49) State. A state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
or a territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
(50) Supervising Heath Care Provider. The designated physician or, if there is no designated
physician or the designated physician is not reasonably available, the health care provider who
has undertaken primary responsibility for an individual’s health care.
(51) Surrogate. An individual, other that a resident’s agent or guardian, authorized to make a health
care decision for the resident.
(52) Treating Health Care Provider. A health care provider who at the time is directly or indirectly
involved in providing health care to the resident.
STANDARDS FOR HOMES FOR THE AGED
CHAPTER 0720-21