Title: Section 455.27 - Inhalation therapy

455.27 Inhalation therapy. This functional reporting center must contain all the expenses associated with the administration of oxygen and certain potent drugs through inhalation or positive pressure and other forms of rehabilitative therapy as prescribed by physicians. This function is performed by specially trained personnel who initiate, monitor and evaluate patient performance, cooperation and ability during testing procedures. Additional activities include but are not limited to the following: assisting physician in performance of emergency care; maintaining open airways, breathing and blood circulation; maintaining aseptic conditions; transporting equipment to patients' bedsides; observing and instructing patients during therapy; visiting all assigned patients to ensure that physicians' orders are being carried out; inspecting and testing equipment; enforcing safety rules; and calculating test results.

(a) Standard unit of measure: number of treatments. Count each procedure as one treatment. Administering of oxygen should be reported as one procedure, regardless of service time, except in those instances where oxygen is continuously administered. In such instances, one treatment would be counted for each 24-hour period.

(b) Data source. The number of treatments shall be obtained from an actual count maintained by the inhalation therapy department.