Section 190. Clinical staff

A. Physicians and nonphysician health care practitioners shall constitute the clinical staff. Clinical privileges of physician and nonphysician health care practitioners shall be clearly defined.

B. Abortions shall be performed by physicians who are licensed to practice medicine in Virginia and who are qualified by training and experience to perform abortions. The abortion facility shall develop, implement, and maintain policies and procedures to ensure and document that abortions that occur in the abortion facility are only performed by physicians who are qualified by training and experience.

C. A physician shall remain on the premises until all patients are medically stable, sign the discharge order, and be readily available and accessible until the last patient is discharged. Licensed health care practitioners trained in post-procedure assessment shall remain on the premises until the last patient has been discharged. The physician shall give a discharge order after assessing a patient or receiving a report from such trained health care practitioner indicating that a patient is safe for discharge. The abortion facility shall develop, implement, and maintain policies and procedures that ensure there is an appropriate evaluation of medical stability prior to discharge of the patient and that adequate trained health care practitioners remain with the patient until she is discharged from the abortion facility.

D. Licensed practical nurses, working under direct supervision and direction of a physician or a registered nurse, may be employed as components of the clinical staff.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 29, Issue 19, eff. June 20, 2013.

Statutory Authority

§§ 32.1-12 and 32.1-127 of the Code of Virginia.