Section 43-34-282. Definitions

   As used in this article, the term:

   (1) "Annual patient population" means persons seen by a clinic or practice in a 12 month calendar year but shall not include persons that are patients of a nursing home, home health agency, or hospice licensed pursuant to Chapter 7 of Title 31.

   (2) "Board" means the Georgia Composite Medical Board created by Code Section 43-34-2.

   (3) "Chronic pain" means physical pain treated for a period of 90 days or more in a year but shall not include perioperative pain, which shall mean pain immediately preceding and immediately following a surgical procedure, when such perioperative pain is being treated in connection with a surgical procedure by a licensed health care professional acting within the scope of his or her license.

   (4) "License" means a valid and current certificate of registration issued by the board pursuant to this article which shall give the person to whom it is issued authority to engage in the practice prescribed thereon.

   (5) "Licensee" means any person holding a license under this article.

   (6) "Nonterminal condition" means a medical condition which is reversible, where there is a reasonable hope of recovery, and where the patient's medical prognosis is a life expectancy of two years or more.

   (7) "Pain management clinic" means a medical practice advertising "treatment of pain" or utilizing "pain" in the name of the clinic or a medical practice or clinic with greater than 50 percent of its annual patient population being treated for chronic pain for nonterminal conditions by the use of Schedule II or III controlled substances. This term shall not include any clinic or practice owned, in whole or in part, or operated by a hospital licensed pursuant to Chapter 7 of Title 31 or by a health system or any ambulatory surgical center, skilled nursing facility, hospice, or home health agency licensed pursuant to Chapter 7 of Title 31.

   (8) "Person" means a natural person.

   (9) "Physician" means a person who possesses a current, unrestricted license to practice medicine in the State of Georgia pursuant to Article 2 of this chapter; who, during the course of his or her practice, has not been denied the privilege of prescribing, dispensing, administering, supplying, or selling any controlled substance; and who has not, during the course of his or her practice, had board action taken against his or her medical license as a result of dependency on drugs or alcohol.

Code 1981, § 43-34-282, enacted by Ga. L. 2013, p. 515, § 2/HB 178.