Definitions — Maine Code § 8752.

§ 8752.. Definitions

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.   [PL 2001, c. 678, §1 (NEW); PL 2001, c. 678, §3 (AFF).]

1.  Division.  "Division" means the department's division of licensing and certification.

2.  Health care facility.  "Health care facility" or "facility" means a general or specialty hospital including all facilities under the hospital's license, an ambulatory surgical facility, an end-stage renal disease facility and a state institution as defined under Title 34‑B, chapter 1, except that it does not include a facility licensed as a nursing facility or licensed under chapter 1664.

2-A.  Immediate jeopardy.  "Immediate jeopardy" means a situation in which the provider's noncompliance with one or more conditions of participation in the federal Medicare program has caused, or is likely to cause, serious injury, harm or impairment to or death of a patient.

3.  Major permanent loss of function.  "Major permanent loss of function" means sensory, motor, physiological or intellectual impairment that was not present at the time of admission and requires continued treatment or imposes persistent major restrictions in activities of daily living.

3-A.  Near miss. 

3-B.  Root cause analysis.  "Root cause analysis" means a structured process for identifying the causal or contributing factors underlying adverse events. The root cause analysis follows a predefined protocol for identifying these specific factors in causal categories.

4.  Sentinel event. 

4-A.  Sentinel event.  "Sentinel event" means:

A. An unanticipated death, or patient transfer to another health care facility, unrelated to the natural course of the patient's illness or underlying condition or proper treatment of that illness or underlying condition in a health care facility;   [PL 2009, c. 358, §1 (NEW).]

B. A major permanent loss of function unrelated to the natural course of the patient's illness or underlying condition or proper treatment of that illness or underlying condition in a health care facility that is present at the time of the discharge of the patient or that occurs within 48 hours of treatment. If within 2 weeks of discharge from the facility, evidence is discovered that the major loss of function was not permanent, the health care facility is not required to submit a report pursuant to section 8753, subsection 2;   [PL 2025, c. 305, Pt. B, §4 (AMD).]

C. An unanticipated perinatal death or major permanent loss of function in an infant with a birth weight over 2,500 grams that is unrelated to the natural course of the infant's or mother's illness or underlying condition or proper treatment of that illness or underlying condition in a health care facility;   [PL 2025, c. 305, Pt. B, §4 (AMD).]

C-1. The suicide of a patient within 48 hours of receiving health care services in a health care facility; and   [PL 2025, c. 305, Pt. B, §4 (NEW).]

D. Other serious and preventable events as identified by using the most recent version of a nationally recognized quality forum.   [PL 2025, c. 305, Pt. B, §4 (AMD).]