NAC449.358. Medical staff.

     1. A hospital shall have a well-organized medical staff that operates in accordance with the bylaws approved by the governing body.

     2. The medical staff must be appointed by the governing body and be composed of:

     (a) Doctors of medicine or osteopathy; and

     (b) To the extent authorized by state law, other practitioners.

     3. The medical staff shall periodically conduct appraisals of its members.

     4. The members of the medical staff shall examine the credentials of candidates for membership to the medical staff and make recommendations to the governing body on the appointment of those candidates to the medical staff.

     5. The medical staff is accountable to the governing body for the quality of the medical care provided to the patients of the hospital.

     6. If the medical staff has an executive committee, a majority of the members of the executive committee must be doctors of medicine or osteopathy.

     7. The responsibility for the organization and conduct of the medical staff must be assigned only to a doctor of medicine or osteopathy.

     8. The medical staff shall adopt and enforce bylaws to carry out its responsibilities. The bylaws must:

     (a) Be approved by the governing body of the hospital.

     (b) Include a statement of the duties and privileges for each category of the medical staff, including, without limitation, active status and courtesy privileges.

     (c) Describe the organization of the medical staff.

     (d) Describe the qualifications that a candidate for membership to the medical staff must have before the medical staff will consider the recommendation of the candidate for membership.

     (e) Include criteria for determining the privileges to be granted to individual practitioners and a procedure for applying the criteria to persons requesting privileges.

     (f) Include a requirement that a physical examination and medical history be done on each patient not more than 7 days before or more than 48 hours after the patient is admitted into the hospital by a member of the medical staff who is a doctor of medicine or osteopathy.

     9. The medical staff shall attempt to secure autopsies in all cases in which the death of the patient is unusual or is of legal, medical or educational interest. The medical staff shall:

     (a) Specifically define a mechanism for documenting permission to perform an autopsy;

     (b) Establish a system for notifying the members of the medical staff and the attending physician when an autopsy is to be performed; and

     (c) Ensure that all autopsies performed in the hospital are authorized pursuant to NRS 451.010.

     [Bd. of Health, Health Facilities Reg. Part III Ch. I § III, eff. 10-9-69]—(NAC A by R050-99, 9-27-99)