Sec 36-439. Definitions

In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Associated licensed provider" means one or more licensed outpatient treatment centers or one or more licensed counseling facilities that share common areas pursuant to a written agreement with a collaborating outpatient treatment center and that are liable and responsible for the treatment areas that are used by the respective associated licensed provider pursuant to written policies.

2. "Collaborating outpatient treatment center" means a licensed outpatient treatment center that has a written agreement with one or more outpatient treatment centers or exempt health care providers or licensed counseling facilities that requires the collaborating outpatient treatment center to be liable and responsible pursuant to written policies for all common areas that one or more colocators use.

3. "Colocator" means an exempt health care provider or a governing authority operating as an outpatient treatment center or a licensed counseling facility that may share common areas and nontreatment personnel with another colocator pursuant to an agreement as prescribed in this article.

4. "Common areas":

(a) Means the licensed public or nonpublic portions of outpatient treatment center premises that are not used for treatment and that are shared by one or more licensees or exempt health care providers.

(b) Includes hallways, entrances, elevators, staircases, restrooms, reception areas, conference areas, employee break rooms, records retention areas and other nontreatment areas of an outpatient treatment center.

5. "Emergency health care services" means treatment for a medical or behavioral health condition, including labor and delivery, that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity, including severe pain, such that a prudent layperson who possesses an average knowledge of health and medicine could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following:

(a) Placing the patient's health, including mental health, in serious jeopardy.

(b) Serious impairment to a bodily function of the patient.

(c) Serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part of the patient.

(d) Harm to the patient or others.

6. "Exempt health care provider" means a health care provider who is licensed pursuant to title 32, who holds an active license and whose private office or clinic is exempt from licensure pursuant to section 36-402, subsection A, paragraph 3.

7. "Nontreatment personnel" means employees, agents, students, interns or independent contractors who provide services to an outpatient treatment center colocator that do not entail medical, nursing or behavioral health assessment or treatment.

8. "Treatment areas" means portions of licensed outpatient treatment center premises that are used for the provision of health care assessment and treatment of patients.