16 FAM 130
MEDICAL PERSONNEL ASSIGNED ABROAD
(CT:MED-41; 03-07-2019)
(Office of Origin: MED)
16 fam 131 Medical personnel assigned
to posts
(CT:MED-41; 03-07-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
The Office of Medical Services (MED) assigns Foreign
Service medical providers (FSMPs) and regional medical laboratory scientists
(RMLSs) to posts abroad as well as to domestic positions. FSMPs include
regional medical managers (RMMs), regional medical officers (RMOs), regional
medical officer/psychiatrists (RMO/Ps), and Foreign Service health
practitioners (FSHPs). When determining assignments to health units abroad,
MED will consider availability and quality of local health resources, local
health risks, size of the mission, regional medical capabilities, requirements
of regional medical evaluation centers, as well as the employees qualifications,
training, and experiences.
16 fam 132 Credentialing and
privileging of Foreign service Medical providers
(CT:MED-41; 03-07-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
a. Foreign Service medical providers (FSMPs) are
required to maintain their State licensure to practice, and specialty board
certification while in the service of the U.S. Government. FSMPs must provide
evidence of compliance with these requirements to MEDs Quality Improvement
office.
b. The Office of Medical Services (MED) credentials
committee will grant clinical privileges and staff appointment to FSMPs based
upon meeting the qualifications cited in 16 FAM 132,
paragraph a, for periods not greater than 5 years without renewal. MED/Quality
Improvement will monitor all professional credentials and advise the
Credentials Committee of any discrepancies.
c. Medical supervisors or medical professionals
selected by MED management, will evaluate the clinical skills of regional
medical officers (RMOs), regional medical officer/psychiatrists (RMO/Ps), and
Foreign Service health practitioners (FSHPs) deployed abroad utilizing Form DS-1948,
Supplemental Evaluation Report for Medical Personnel. This evaluation is in
addition to their regular Employee Evaluation Report (EER) and will be
conducted at least once during the assigned tour. Form DS-1948 is not required
when an RMO is the rating officer. MED will submit these evaluations to the
Bureau of Human Resources Office of Personnel Evaluation (HR/PE), to be
included in the rated officers official performance file. A copy will also be
kept in the FSMPs credentials folder maintained by MEDs Quality Improvement
office.
16 fam 133 FOREIGN SERVICE MEDICAL
PROVIDERS reporting RESPONSIBILITIES
16 FAM 133.1 Report of Death,
Life-Threatening Illness, or Life-Threatening Injury
(CT:MED-41; 03-07-2019)
(Uniform State/USAGM/USAID/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps - USDA)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
a. Post must notify the Department of a death of a U.S.
Government employee or eligible family member (EFM). Post must ensure that the
regional medical officer (RMO) and/or Foreign Service health practitioner
(FSHP) are notified (see 3 FAM 2550 and 12 FAM 227).
b. The RMO and/or FSHP should notify the regional
medical officer/psychiatrist (RMO/P) of a death when appropriate.
c. In cases of death, life-threatening illness, or
life-threatening injury of any individual covered under the Department of State
Medical Program, the RMO, RMO/P, and/or FSHP must notify MED and provide
comprehensive details of the incident.
16 FAM 133.2 Report of Work Place
Injuries
(CT:MED-41; 03-07-2019)
(Uniform State/USAGM/USAID/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps - USDA)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
Post medical personnel must report any work place mishap,
as defined in 15
FAM 964, of Civil Service or Foreign Service employees, eligible family
members, locally employed staff, third-country nationals, personal services
contractors, institutional contractors, and other employees to the post
occupational safety and health officer (POSHO) in accordance with 15 FAM 964.
16 FAM 133.3 Reports on Treatment
of Employees and Family Members
(CT:MED-41; 03-07-2019)
(Uniform State/USAGM/USAID/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps - USDA)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
a. Foreign Service medical providers (FSMPs) must
ensure that either electronic medical records or paper medical record files are
maintained on all persons receiving medical evaluations, treatments, and/or
referrals from posts health units.
b. Whenever outside medical care is arranged or
authorized by the U.S. Government, the FSMP must have the patient (or parent if
the patient is a minor) sign a release of medical information and request a
medical report referencing that care.
16 FAM 133.4 Adverse Medical Event
Investigation and Reporting
(CT:MED-41; 03-07-2019)
(Uniform State/USAGM/USAID/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps - USDA)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
The regional medical officer (RMO), regional medical
officer/psychiatrist (RMO/P), and/or Foreign Service health practitioner (FSHP)
must report adverse medical events occurring at post or within his or her
region of responsibility directly to the Quality Improvement section of MED.
For this purpose, an adverse event is defined as any medical action that might
cause harm to a patient, whether or not any actual harm occurred.
16 FAM 133.5 Post Health and
Information Guide
(CT:MED-41; 03-07-2019)
(Uniform State/USAGM/USAID/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps - USDA)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
Each post will prepare and publish a post health and
information guide. This guide will be updated on an annual basis.
Reproduction and distribution of this guide is the responsibility of the post
management office.
16 FAM 134 Medical officers standing
embassy duty-officer duty
(CT:MED-41; 03-07-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
When at post, the Foreign Service regional medical manager
(RMM), regional medical officer (RMO), regional medical officer/psychiatrist
(RMO/P), Foreign Service health practitioner (FSHP), and regional medical
laboratory scientist (RMLS) are on call for the missions medical urgencies and
emergencies and also for their regional posts of responsibility. Given the
priority of life and safety, the medical professional must be available to
respond to any medical emergency. Therefore, management at post should not
assign the RMM, RMO, RMO/P, FSHP, or RMLS as a post duty officer.
16 FAM 135 personnel with medical
duties who are assigned TO other bureaus
(CT:MED-34; 03-08-2017)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
a. Employees and personal services contractors assigned
domestically or overseas by offices or bureaus other than MED whose defined
duties include providing emergency medical support and treatment to personnel
must:
(1) Maintain certification from the National Registry
of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) as emergency medical technicians (EMT)
and maintain current life support certifications as deemed appropriate by MED
and be privileged by MEDs Credentials Committee to provide care to personnel.
Privileging, which includes verification of credentials by MEDs Quality
Improvement (QI) office, is provided in accordance with MED credentialing
policies and under clinical protocols, appropriately reflecting the medical
challenges faced within the operating environments, defined by MEDs the
Directorate of Operational Medicine (MED/DMD/OM),
with input from identified bureau designees, and made available to providers
simultaneously with receiving clinical privileges;
(2) Provide medical services only within the scope of
clinical practice developed by MED and consistent with the providers level of
certification and training;
(3) Attend continuing education training approved by
MED and the parent bureau. Upon completion of the training, successfully
complete skill and procedural testing developed by MED/DMD/OM in collaboration
with bureau designees. After successful completion of training and testing the
individuals scope of practice may be modified by MED to include additional
skill set(s) at the request of the individuals bureau or office; and
(4) Successfully complete skill/procedural testing,
based on national standards and MED-specific requirements (with substantive
input from the parent bureau), every 2 years in conjunction with, and as a
prerequisite for, recertification and continued privileging by MEDs
Credentials Committee.
b. MED retains unilateral authority to immediately
suspend the privileges of a provider for acts which may be interpreted as
malpractice. Clinical privileges will remain suspended until such time as an
inquiry can be conducted, deficiencies noted, and retraining/retesting is
provided. Once retraining and retesting is completed, the providers
privileging packet will be reviewed for approval by the Credentials Committee.
c. Employees and personal services contractors who may
be called upon to provide first aid and CPR, as instructed through approved
DSTC and the Foreign Service Institute medical training courses, incidental to
their assigned position duties are not subject to the provisions of 16 FAM 135,
paragraph a.
d. MED will work with parent bureaus to establish a
committee to assist in the development of specific requirements and resolution
of conflicts arising within this program.
16 fam 136 through 139 unassigned