Page 259

7 AAC 12.342. Central supply; medical supplies and appliances. (a) A full-service hospice agency is subject to this section unless the agency provides inpatient care on agency premises. An agency that provides inpatient care on agency premises shall comply with 7 AAC 12.730. A hospice agency that is subject to this section shall maintain a separate area for the

(1) storage of sterile supplies and materials to protect those supplies and materials from contamination; and

(2) cleaning, disinfection, or sterilizing, as appropriate under (b) of this section. (b) A hospice agency that is subject to this section shall develop and implement policies and procedures for

(1) identifying supplies or equipment that, because of the intended use, must be cleaned, disinfected, or sterilized to decrease the risk of infection;

(2) cleaning, disinfecting, sterilizing, and storage of nondisposable supplies and equipment to prevent contamination and the transmission of infection through use;

(3) identifying potentially infectious materials that must be treated before disposal;

(4) handling, packaging, and disposing of materials and sharp instruments contaminated by pathological, biohazardous, or infectious waste; and

(5) maintaining a system for identifying and preventing usage of supplies with questionable sterility. (c) A hospice agency that is subject to this section shall provide medical supplies and appliances, including drugs and biologicals, as needed for palliative care and management of terminal illness. The agency shall have a written policy to recommend to the client, the client’s family, or the caregiver the destruction, or disposal, as appropriate, of drugs, including scheduled drugs, chemicals, and biologicals that are used in the care of the client and maintained in a client’s home if the drugs, chemicals, or biologicals have expired or are no longer needed by the client. (Eff. 5/24/2007, Register 182) Statutory Authority: Authority: AS 47.32.010 AS 47.32.030