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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>67276</law_id><section_number>32.1-276.3</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>32.1-276.6</reference><reference>32.1-276.7</reference><reference>54.1-3300</reference><reference>54.1-3300.1</reference><reference>59.1-575</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="32.1">Health</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="7.2">Health Care Data Reporting</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>As used in this chapter:
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Actual reimbursement amount</span>&#x201D; means reimbursement information included in the claims data submitted by data suppliers to the Virginia All-Payer Claims Database, whether such information is referred to in the claims data as &#x201C;paid amounts,&#x201D; &#x201C;allowed amounts,&#x201D; or another term having the same or similar meaning and whether in reference to the payer who paid the <span class="dictionary">actual reimbursement amount</span> or the provider who received the <span class="dictionary">actual reimbursement amount</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Board</span>&#x201D; means the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> of Health.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Common data layout</span>&#x201D; means the national data collection standard adopted and maintained by the APCD Council.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Consumer</span>&#x201D; means any <span class="dictionary">person</span> (i) whose occupation is other than the administration of health activities or the provision of health services, (ii) who has no fiduciary obligation to a health care institution or other health agency or to any organization, public or private, whose principal activity is an adjunct to the provision of health services, or (iii) who has no <span class="dictionary">material</span> financial interest in the rendering of health services.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Covered lives</span>&#x201D; means subscribers, policyholders, members, enrollees, or dependents, as the case may be, under a policy or <span class="dictionary">contract</span> issued or issued for delivery in Virginia by a managed care health insurance plan licensee, insurer, health services plan, or preferred provider organization.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">ERISA plan</span>&#x201D; means any self-funded employee welfare benefit plan governed by the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;1002(1).
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Health care provider</span>&#x201D; means (i) a general hospital, ordinary hospital, outpatient surgical hospital, nursing home or certified nursing facility licensed or certified pursuant to Article 1 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="(Effective January 1, 2026) Definitions" href="/32.1-123/">32.1-123</a> et seq.) of Chapter 5 of this title; (ii) a mental or psychiatric hospital licensed pursuant to Article 2 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/37.2-403/">37.2-403</a> et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 37.2; (iii) a hospital operated by the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; (iv) a hospital operated by the University of Virginia or the Virginia Commonwealth University Health <span class="dictionary">System</span> Authority; (v) any <span class="dictionary">person</span> licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in the Commonwealth pursuant to Chapter 29 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/54.1-2900/">54.1-2900</a> et seq.) of Title 54.1; (vi) any <span class="dictionary">person</span> licensed to furnish health care policies or plans pursuant to Chapter 34 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Application of chapter" href="/38.2-3400/">38.2-3400</a> et seq.), Chapter 42 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Applicability of chapter" href="/38.2-4200/">38.2-4200</a>), or Chapter 43 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/38.2-4300/">38.2-4300</a>) of Title 38.2; or (vii) any <span class="dictionary">person</span> licensed to practice dentistry pursuant to Chapter 27 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/54.1-2700/">54.1-2700</a> et seq.) of Title 54.1 who is registered with the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> of Dentistry as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and certified by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> of Dentistry to perform certain procedures pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Certain certification required" href="/54.1-2709.1/">54.1-2709.1</a>. In no event shall such term be construed to include continuing care retirement communities which file annual financial reports with the State Corporation Commission pursuant to Chapter 49 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/38.2-4900/">38.2-4900</a> et seq.) of Title 38.2 or any nursing care facility of a religious body which depends upon prayer alone for healing.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Health maintenance organization</span>&#x201D; means any <span class="dictionary">person</span> who undertakes to provide or to arrange for one or more health care plans pursuant to Chapter 43 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/38.2-4300/">38.2-4300</a> et seq.) of Title 38.2.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Inpatient hospital</span>&#x201D; means a hospital providing inpatient care and licensed pursuant to Article 1 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="(Effective January 1, 2026) Definitions" href="/32.1-123/">32.1-123</a> et seq.) of Chapter 5, a hospital licensed pursuant to Article 2 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/37.2-403/">37.2-403</a> et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 37.2, a hospital operated by the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services for the care and treatment of individuals with mental illness, or a hospital operated by the University of Virginia or the Virginia Commonwealth University Health <span class="dictionary">System</span> Authority.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Nonprofit organization</span>&#x201D; 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 this chapter.
		&#x201C;Oral and maxillofacial surgeon&#x201D; means, for the purposes of this chapter, a <span class="dictionary">person</span> who is licensed to practice dentistry in Virginia, registered with the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> of Dentistry as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and certified to perform certain procedures pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Certain certification required" href="/54.1-2709.1/">54.1-2709.1</a>.
		&#x201C;Oral and maxillofacial surgeon&#x2019;s office&#x201D; means a place (i) owned or operated by a licensed and registered oral and maxillofacial surgeon who is certified to perform certain procedures pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Certain certification required" href="/54.1-2709.1/">54.1-2709.1</a> or by a group of oral and maxillofacial surgeons, at least one of whom is so certified, practicing in any legal form whatsoever or by a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity that employs or engages at least one oral and maxillofacial surgeon who is so certified, and (ii) designed and equipped for the provision of oral and maxillofacial surgery services to ambulatory patients.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Outpatient surgery</span>&#x201D; 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 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="(Effective January 1, 2026) Definitions" href="/32.1-123/">32.1-123</a> et seq.) of Chapter 5 of this title or in a <span class="dictionary">physician</span>&#x2019;s office or oral and maxillofacial surgeon&#x2019;s office, as defined above. <span class="dictionary">Outpatient surgery</span> refers only to those <span class="dictionary">surgical procedure groups</span> on which data are collected by the <span class="dictionary">nonprofit organization</span> as a part of a pilot study.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Physician</span>&#x201D; means a <span class="dictionary">person</span> licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in the Commonwealth pursuant to Chapter 29 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/54.1-2900/">54.1-2900</a> et seq.) of Title 54.1.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Physician</span>&#x2019;s office&#x201D; means a place (i) owned or operated by a licensed <span class="dictionary">physician</span> or group of <span class="dictionary">physicians</span> practicing in any legal form whatsoever or by a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity that employs or engages <span class="dictionary">physicians</span> and (ii) designed and equipped solely for the provision of fundamental medical care, whether diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, preventive or palliative, to ambulatory patients.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Surgical procedure group</span>&#x201D; means at least five procedure groups, identified by the <span class="dictionary">nonprofit organization</span> designated pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Agreements for certain data services" href="/32.1-276.4/">32.1-276.4</a> in compliance with regulations adopted by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>, 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 <span class="dictionary">nonprofit organization</span> shall form a technical advisory group consisting of members nominated by its <span class="dictionary">Board</span> of Directors&#x2019; nominating organizations to assist in selecting <span class="dictionary">surgical procedure groups</span> to recommend to the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> for adoption.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">System</span>&#x201D; means the Virginia Patient Level Data <span class="dictionary">System</span>.</p></section></text><history>1996, cc. 902, 905, 1046; 1999, c. 764; 2000, cc. 720, 897; 2001, c. 341; 2003, c. 466; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2019, cc. 672, 673.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
