Washington Administrative Code

The purpose of this section is to guide the management of patients recovering from anesthesia and sedation. Hospitals are not required to provide anesthesia recovery services in order to be licensed.If providing recovery services, hospitals must:(1) Adopt and implement policies a…

The purpose of this section is to guide the management and care of patients receiving obstetrical care services. Hospitals are not required to provide obstetrical services in order to be licensed.If providing obstetrical services hospitals must:(1) Have the capability to perform …

The purpose of this section is to guide the management and care of patients receiving neonatal or pediatric care services. Hospitals are not required to provide these services in order to be licensed.If providing neonatal or pediatric care, hospitals must:(1) Adopt and implement …

The purpose of this section is to guide the management and care of patients receiving critical or intensive care services. Hospitals are not required to provide these services in order to be licensed.If providing a critical care unit or services, hospitals must:(1) Define the qua…

The purpose of this section is to guide the management and care of patients receiving alcohol and chemical dependency services. Hospitals are not required to provide these services in order to be licensed.If providing alcoholism or chemical dependency services hospitals must:(1) …

The purpose of this section is to guide the management and care of patients receiving psychiatric services. Hospitals are not required to provide these services in order to be licensed.If providing a psychiatric services, hospitals must:(1) Adopt and implement policies and proced…

The purpose of this section is to guide the management and care of patients receiving long-term care services. Hospitals are not required to provide these services in order to be licensed.If providing long-term care services, hospitals must:(1) Define the qualifications and overs…

The purpose of this section is to guide the management and care of patients receiving hospital at home services as defined in RCW 70.41.550 (5)(a). Hospitals are not required to provide these services in order to be licensed. Hospitals must meet all inpatient service requirements…

The purpose of this section is to guide the management and care of patients receiving emergency services. Hospitals are not required to provide these services in order to be licensed. If providing emergency services, hospitals must:(1) Adopt and implement policies and procedures,…

The purpose of this section is to ensure that all hospitals with emergency rooms provide emergency contraception as a treatment option to any woman who seeks treatment as a result of a sexual assault.Every hospital that provides emergency care must:(1) Develop and implement polic…

The purpose of this section is to guide the management and care of patients receiving dialysis services. Hospitals are not required to provide these services in order to be licensed.If providing renal dialysis care, hospitals must:(1) Adopt and implement policies and procedures c…

The purpose of this section is to manage environmental hazards and risks, prevent accidents and injuries, and maintain safe conditions for patients, visitors, and staff.(1) Hospitals must have an environment of care management plan that addresses safety, security, hazardous mater…

The purpose of construction regulations is to provide for a safe and effective patient care environment. These rules are not retroactive and are intended to be applied as outlined below.(1) These regulations apply to hospitals including:(a) New buildings to be licensed as a hospi…

(1) Drawings and specifications for new construction, excluding minor alterations, must be prepared by or under the direction of, an architect registered under chapter 18.08 RCW. The services of a consulting engineer registered under chapter 18.43 RCW may be used for the various …

(1) The definition in this subsection applies throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:"Washington hospital licensing construction standard guidelines" or "guidelines" means the publication of Washington state's amendments to the 2022 edition of the G…

The definitions in this section apply throughout the chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(1) "Abuse" means an act by any…

(1) A person shall have a current license issued by the department before operating or advertising a private psychiatric hospital.(2) The private psychiatric hospital licensure process described in this section does not apply to a tribe that is licensed or seeking licensure via a…

(1) The licensee shall:(a) Comply with the provisions of chapter 71.12 RCW and this chapter;(b) Post the private psychiatric hospital license in a conspicuous place on the premises;(c) Maintain the bed capacity at or below the licensed bed capacity;(d) Cooperate with the departme…

(1) The licensee or license applicant shall require a disclosure statement as defined in RCW 43.43.834 for each prospective employee, volunteer, contractor, student, and any other individual associated with the hospital having direct contact with vulnerable adults as defined unde…

(1) The licensee shall develop and implement the following written policies and procedures consistent with this chapter and services provided:(a) Criteria for admitting and retaining patients;(b) Methods for assessing each patient's physical and mental health prior to admission;(…

The governing body shall:(1) Adopt written policies concerning the purposes, operation and maintenance of the hospital, and the safety, care and treatment of patients;(2) Provide staff, facilities, equipment, supplies and services to meet the needs of patients within the purposes…

The licensee shall:(1) Employ sufficient, qualified staff to:(a) Provide adequate patient services;(b) Maintain the hospital free of safety hazards; and(c) Implement fire and disaster plans;(2) Develop and maintain a written job description for the administrator and each staff po…

The licensee shall:(1) Establish and implement an effective hospital-wide infection control program, which includes at a minimum:(a) Written policies and procedures describing:(i) Types of surveillance used to monitor rates of nosocomial infections;(ii) Systems to collect and ana…

The licensee shall:(1) Provide a safe and clean environment for patients, staff and visitors;(2) Provide ready access and equipment to accommodate individuals with physical and mental disabilities;(3) Provide adequate lighting in all areas;(4) Provide natural or mechanical ventil…

The licensee shall:(1) Provide patient sleeping rooms with:(a) A minimum of eighty square feet of useable floor space in a single bedroom;(b) A minimum of seventy square feet of useable floor space per bed in a multipatient room;(c) A minimum ceiling height of seven feet six inch…

The licensee shall provide:(1) An adequate number of counseling or treatment rooms for group or individual therapy programs with reasonable soundproofing to maintain confidentiality;(2) One or more seclusion rooms, with or without an exterior window, intended for short-term occup…

The licensee shall provide:(1) One toilet, handwashing sink and bathing fixture for each six patients, or fraction thereof, on each patient-occupied floor of the hospital, with:(a) Provisions for privacy during toileting, bathing, showering, and dressing;(b) Separate toilet rooms…

(1) The licensee shall:(a) Provide an initial physical and mental health assessment by a physician, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. The initial mental status exam may be conducted by a mental health professional;(b) Admit only those patients for wh…

(1) The licensee shall assure seclusion and restraint are used only to the extent and duration necessary to ensure the safety of patients, staff, and property, as follows:(a) Staff shall not inflict pain or use restraint and seclusion for retaliation or personal convenience;(b) S…

A licensee providing inpatient services for mentally ill patients with suspected or known infectious tuberculosis shall:(1) Design patient rooms with:(a) Ventilation to maintain a negative pressure condition in each patient room relative to adjacent spaces, except bath and toilet…

(1) The licensee shall establish and maintain an organized clinical record service, consistent with recognized principles of record management, directed, staffed, and equipped to:(a) Ensure timely, complete and accurate identification, checking, processing, indexing, filing, and …

The licensee shall:(1) Maintain the pharmacy in the hospital in a safe, clean, and sanitary condition;(2) Provide evidence of current approval of pharmacy services by the pharmacy quality assurance commission under chapter 18.64 RCW;(3) Develop and implement procedures for prescr…

The licensee shall:(1) Provide access to laboratory services to meet emergency and routine needs of patients;(2) Ensure laboratory services are provided by licensed or waivered medical test sites in accordance with chapter 70.42 RCW and chapter 246-338 WAC; and(3) Maintain each m…

The licensee shall:(1) Comply with chapters 246-215 and 246-217 WAC, food service;(2) Designate an individual responsible for managing and supervising dietary/food services twenty-four hours per day, including:(a) Incorporating ongoing recommendations of a dietitian;(b) Serving a…

The licensee shall provide:(1) Laundry and linen services, on the premises or by commercial laundry;(2) Storage and sorting areas for soiled laundry in well-ventilated areas, separate from clean linen handling areas;(3) A clean area with an adequate supply of clean linen;(4) When…

(1) The applicant or licensee shall comply with chapter 31 of the Washington State Building Code for all construction.(2) Prior to starting construction, the applicant or licensee shall submit the following documentation to the department:(a) A completed application form, a copy …

The National Quality Forum identifies and defines twenty-nine serious reportable events (adverse health events) as updated and adopted in 2011.(1) Psychiatric hospitals must report adverse health events to the department.(2) Psychiatric hospitals must comply with the reporting re…

(1) A licensee wishing to request an exemption from a requirement in this chapter shall submit a written request to the department, including:(a) A description of the requested exemption;(b) Reason for the exemption; and(c) Impact of the exemption on patient or public health and …

(1) An Indian health care provider as defined in RCW 71.24.025 may attest that its private psychiatric hospital meets state minimum standards for a licensed private psychiatric hospitals, as described in RCW 71.12.460.(2) A tribe that is pursuing attestation with the department m…

This section establishes the initial licensure and annual renewal fees for private psychiatric hospitals licensed under chapter 71.12 RCW.(1) Applicants and licensees shall:(a) Submit to the department an initial licensure fee for each bed space within the licensed bed capacity o…

For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.(1) "Abuse" means an act by any individual which injures, exploits or in any way jeopardizes a patient's health, welfare, or safety, i…

(1) A person shall have a current license issued by the department before operating or advertising a private alcohol and chemical dependency hospital.(2) An applicant for initial licensure shall submit to the department, forty-five days or more before commencing business:(a) A co…

(1) The licensee shall:(a) Comply with the provisions of chapter 71.12 RCW and this chapter;(b) Post the private alcohol and chemical dependency hospital license in a conspicuous place on the premises;(c) Maintain the bed capacity at or below the licensed bed capacity;(d) Coopera…

(1) The licensee or license applicant shall require a disclosure statement as defined in RCW 43.43.834 for each prospective employee, volunteer, contractor, student, and any other individual associated with the hospital having direct contact with vulnerable adults as defined unde…

(1) The licensee shall develop and implement the following written policies and procedures consistent with this chapter and services provided:(a) Criteria for admitting and retaining patients;(b) Methods for assessing each patient's physical and mental health prior to admission;(…

The governing body shall:(1) Adopt written policies concerning the purposes, operation and maintenance of the hospital, and the safety, care and treatment of patients;(2) Provide staff, facilities, equipment, supplies and services to meet the needs of patients within the purposes…

The licensee shall:(1) Employ sufficient, qualified staff to:(a) Provide adequate patient services;(b) Maintain the hospital free of safety hazards; and(c) Implement fire and disaster plans.(2) Develop and maintain a written job description for the administrator and each staff po…

The licensee shall:(1) Establish and implement an effective hospital-wide infection control program, which includes at a minimum:(a) Written policies and procedures describing:(i) Types of surveillance used to monitor rates of nosocomial infections;(ii) Systems to collect and ana…

The licensee shall:(1) Provide a safe and clean environment for patients, staff and visitors;(2) Provide ready access and equipment to accommodate individuals with physical and mental disabilities;(3) Provide adequate lighting in all areas;(4) Provide natural or mechanical ventil…

The licensee shall:(1) Provide patient sleeping rooms with:(a) A minimum of eighty square feet of useable floor space in a single bedroom;(b) A minimum of seventy square feet of useable floor space per bed in a multipatient room;(c) A minimum ceiling height of seven feet six inch…