In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 36-439

  • Associated licensed provider: means one or more licensed outpatient treatment centers or exempt 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. See Arizona Laws 36-439
  • Behavioral health services: means services that pertain to mental health and substance use disorders and that are either:

    (a) Performed by or under the supervision of a professional who is licensed pursuant to title 32 and whose scope of practice allows the professional to provide these services. See Arizona Laws 36-401

  • Collaborating outpatient treatment center: means a licensed outpatient treatment center or an exempt 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. See Arizona Laws 36-439
  • Colocator: means an exempt health care provider, an exempt outpatient treatment center 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. See Arizona Laws 36-439
  • Direct owner: means a person that has an ownership or control interest in a health care institution totaling fifty-one percent or more. See Arizona Laws 36-401
  • 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. See Arizona Laws 36-439
  • Exempt outpatient treatment center: means a facility with the same direct owner or indirect owner as a hospital that is licensed pursuant to this chapter, that does not have inpatient beds, that provides physical health services or behavioral health services for the diagnosis and treatment of patients and that is exempt from licensure pursuant to section 36-402, subsection A, paragraph 12. See Arizona Laws 36-439
  • Facilities: means buildings that are used by a health care institution for providing any of the types of services as defined in this chapter. See Arizona Laws 36-401
  • Governing authority: means the individual, agency, partners, group or corporation, whether appointed, elected or otherwise designated, in which the ultimate responsibility and authority for the conduct of the health care institution are vested. See Arizona Laws 36-401
  • including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • 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. See Arizona Laws 36-439
  • Treatment areas: means portions of licensed outpatient treatment center premises that are used for the provision of health care assessment and treatment of patients. See Arizona Laws 36-439

1. "Associated licensed provider" means one or more licensed outpatient treatment centers or exempt 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 or an exempt 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, an exempt outpatient treatment center 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. "Exempt outpatient treatment center" means a facility with the same direct owner or indirect owner as a hospital that is licensed pursuant to this chapter, that does not have inpatient beds, that provides physical health services or behavioral health services for the diagnosis and treatment of patients and that is exempt from licensure pursuant to section 36-402, subsection A, paragraph 12.

8. "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.

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