Section 31-7-172. Definitions

   As used in this article, the term:

   (1) "Advanced and progressive disease" means a serious life-threatening medical condition which is irreversible and which will continue indefinitely, where there is no reasonable hope of recovery, but where the patient's medical prognosis is one in which there is a life expectancy of up to two years. This term does not include terminally ill patients as defined in paragraph (12) of this Code section.

   (2) "Bereavement services" means the supportive services provided to the family unit to assist it in coping with the patient's death, including follow-up assessment and assistance through the first year after death.

   (3) "Department" means the Department of Community Health.

   (4) "Health care facility" means hospitals; other special care units, including but not limited to podiatric facilities; skilled nursing facilities; intermediate care facilities; assisted living communities; personal care homes; ambulatory surgical or obstetrical facilities; health maintenance organizations; home health agencies; and diagnostic, treatment, or rehabilitation centers.

   (5) "Hospice" means a public agency or private organization or unit of either providing to persons terminally ill and to their families, regardless of ability to pay, a centrally administered and autonomous continuum of palliative and supportive care, directed and coordinated by the hospice care team primarily in the patient's home but also on an outpatient and short-term inpatient basis and which is classified as hospice by the department. In addition, such public agency or private organization or unit of either may also provide palliative care to persons with advanced and progressive diseases and to their families, directed and coordinated by the hospice care team.

   (6) "Hospice care" means both regularly scheduled care and care available on a 24 hour on-call basis, consisting of medical, nursing, social, spiritual, volunteer, and bereavement services substantially all of which are provided to the patient and to the patient's family regardless of ability to pay under a written care plan established and periodically reviewed by the patient's attending physician, by the medical director of the hospice program, and by the hospice care team.

   (7) "Hospice care team" means an interdisciplinary working unit composed of members of the various helping professions (who may donate their professional services), including but not limited to: a physician licensed or authorized to practice in this state, a registered professional nurse, a social worker, a member of the clergy or other counselor, and volunteers who provide hospice care.

   (8) "Hospice patient family unit" means the terminally ill person or person with an advanced and progressive disease and his or her family, which may include spouse, children, siblings, parents, and other relatives with significant personal ties to the patient.

   (9) "License" means a license issued by the department.

   (10) "Palliative care" means those interventions by the hospice care team which are intended to alleviate suffering and to achieve relief from, reduction of, or elimination of pain and of other physical, emotional, social, or spiritual symptoms of distress to achieve the best quality of life for the patients and their families.

   (11) "Patient" means a terminally ill individual receiving the hospice continuum of services, regardless of ability to pay, and also means an individual with an advanced and progressive disease.

   (12) "Terminally ill" means that the individual is experiencing an illness for which therapeutic intervention directed toward cure of the disease is no longer appropriate, and the patient's medical prognosis is one in which there is a life expectancy of six months or less.

Code 1981, § 31-7-172, enacted by Ga. L. 1983, p. 1317, § 2; Ga. L. 2006, p. 1055, § 1/HB 1008; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 1-4/HB 228; Ga. L. 2011, p. 227, § 16/SB 178.