§18B-16-3. Definitions.

For purposes of this article, and in addition to the definitions set forth in section two, article one of this chapter, the terms used in this article have the following definitions ascribed to them:

(a) "Advisory panel" or "panel" means the West Virginia rural health advisory panel created under section six of this article.

(b) "Allied health care" means health care other than that provided by physicians, nurses, dentists and mid-level providers and includes, but is not limited to, care provided by clinical laboratory personnel, physical therapists, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, medical records personnel, dietetic personnel, radiologic personnel, speech-language-hearing personnel and dental hygienists.

(c) "Mid-level provider" includes, but is not limited to, advanced nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives and physician assistants.

(d) "Office of community and rural health services" means that agency, staff or office within the Department of Health which has as its primary focus the delivery of rural health care.

(e) "Primary care" means basic or general health care which emphasizes the point when the patient first seeks assistance from the medical care system and the care of the simpler and more common illnesses. This type of care is generally rendered by family practice physicians, general practice physicians, general internists, obstetricians, pediatricians, psychiatrists and mid-level providers.

(f) "Primary health care education sites" or "sites", whether the term is used in the plural or singular, means those rural health care facilities established for the provision of educational and clinical experiences pursuant to section seven of this article.

 (g) "Rural health care facilities" or "facilities", whether the term is used in the plural or singular, means nonprofit, free-standing primary care clinics in medically underserved or health professional shortage areas and nonprofit rural hospitals with one hundred or less licensed acute care beds located in a nonstandard metropolitan statistical area.

 (h) "Schools of medicine" means the West Virginia University school of medicine, which is the school of health sciences; the Marshall school of medicine, which is the Marshall medical school; and the West Virginia school of osteopathic medicine.

(i) "Vice chancellor" means the vice chancellor for health sciences provided for under section six, article two of this chapter.