Virginia Law

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Board" means the State Board of Health.

"Nonprofit organization" means a nonprofit, tax-exempt health data organization with the characteristics, expertise and capacity to execute the powers and duties set forth for such entity in Chapter 7.2 (§ 32.1-276.2 et seq.) of Title 32.1 of the Code of Virginia and with which the Commissioner of Health has entered into a contract as required by the Code of Virginia.

"Outpatient processed, verified data" means data on outpatient records that fulfill the requirements specified in 12VAC5-218-25.

"Outpatient surgical procedures" means all surgical procedures performed on an outpatient basis in a general hospital, ordinary hospital, outpatient surgical hospital or other facility licensed or certified pursuant to Article 1 (§ 32.1-123 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 32.1 of the Code of Virginia or in a physician's office or oral and maxillofacial surgeon's office as defined by § 32.1-276.3 of the Code of Virginia. Outpatient surgery refers only to those surgical procedure groups on which data are collected by the nonprofit organization as a part of a pilot study.

"Physician" means a person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in the Commonwealth pursuant to Chapter 29 (§ 54.1-2900 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia.

"Physician's office" means a place (i) owned or operated by a licensed physician or group of physicians practicing in any legal form whatsoever or by a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity that employs or engages physicians and (ii) designed and equipped solely for the provision of fundamental medical care, whether diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, preventive or palliative, to ambulatory patients.

"Reporting entity" means every general hospital, ordinary hospital, outpatient surgical hospital or other facility licensed or certified pursuant to Article 1 (§ 32.1-123 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 32.1 of the Code of Virginia and every physician performing surgical procedures in his office or oral and maxillofacial surgeon's office as defined by § 32.1-276.3 of the Code of Virginia.

"Surgical procedure group" means at least five procedure groups, identified by the nonprofit organization designated pursuant to § 32.1-276.4 of the Code of Virginia in compliance with regulations adopted by the board, based on criteria that include, but are not limited to, the frequency with which the procedure is performed, the clinical severity or intensity, and the perception or probability of risk. The nonprofit organization shall form a technical advisory group consisting of members nominated by its board of directors' nominating organizations to assist in selecting surgical procedure groups to recommend to the board for adoption.