16 FAM 130
MEDICAL PERSONNEL ASSIGNED ABROAD
(CT:MED-50; 06-09-2023)
(Office of Origin: MED)
16 fam 131 Medical personnel assigned to posts
(CT:MED-50; 06-09-2023)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
The Bureau 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 employee’s qualifications, training, and experiences.
16 fam 132 Credentialing and privileging of Foreign service Medical providers
(CT:MED-50; 06-09-2023)
(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 MED’s Quality Improvement office.
b. The Bureau 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 officer’s official performance file. A copy will also be kept in the FSMP’s credentials folder maintained by MED’s 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 workplace 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 mission’s 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 MED’s Credentials Committee to provide care to personnel. Privileging, which includes verification of credentials by MED’s 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 MED’s 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 provider’s 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 individual’s scope of practice may be modified by MED to include additional skill set(s) at the request of the individual’s 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 MED’s 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 provider’s 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