(a) Whenever judgment is entered on a claim in any action for recovery of damages for personal injury or death arising out of the rendering of or the failure to render professional services by any health care provider, the court may include in such judgment a requirement that the damages awarded be paid in whole or in part by installment or periodic payments, and any installment or periodic payment upon becoming due and payable under the terms of any such judgment shall constitute a separate judgment upon which execution may issue. Any judgment ordering any such payments shall specify the amount of each payment, the interval between payments and the number of payments to be paid under the judgment. For good cause shown, the court may modify such judgment with respect to the amount of such payments and the number of payments to be made or the interval between payments, but the total amount of damages awarded by such judgment shall not be subject to modification in any event.

(b) As used in this section, “health care provider” means a person licensed to practice any branch of the healing arts, a person who holds a temporary permit to practice any branch of the healing arts or a person engaged in a postgraduate training program approved by the state board of healing arts, a licensed medical care facility, a health maintenance organization, a licensed dentist, a licensed professional nurse, a licensed practical nurse, a licensed optometrist, a licensed podiatrist, a licensed pharmacist, a professional corporation organized pursuant to the professional corporation law of Kansas by persons who are authorized by such law to form such a corporation and who are health care providers as defined by this subsection, a licensed physical therapist or an officer, employee or agent thereof acting in the course and scope of employment or agency.