§ 1902. Definitions
The following words and phrases, as used in this chapter, shall have the following
meanings unless otherwise provided:
(1) “Hospital” means a place devoted primarily to the maintenance and operation of diagnostic
and therapeutic facilities for in-patient medical or surgical care of individuals
who have an illness, disease, injury, or physical disability, or for obstetrics.
(A) “General hospital” is a hospital of which not more than 50 percent of the total patient
days during the year are customarily assignable to the following categories of cases:
chronic, convalescent and rest, drug and alcoholic, epilepsy, developmental and psychiatric
disabilities and mental conditions, and tuberculosis and that provides adequate and
separate facilities and equipment for the performance of surgery and obstetrics, or
either, and for diagnostic X-ray and laboratory services.
(B) “Psychiatric hospital” means a hospital for the diagnosis and treatment of mental
illness.
(C) “Tuberculosis facility” means a hospital (excluding preventoria), or the separate
tuberculosis unit of a general, psychiatric, or chronic disease hospital for the diagnosis
and treatment of tuberculosis.
(D) “Chronic disease facility” means a hospital, or the separate chronic disease unit
of a general hospital, for the treatment of chronic illness, including the degenerative
diseases. The term does not include facilities primarily for the care of individuals
with mental conditions and psychiatric disabilities or tuberculosis, nursing homes,
and institutions the primary purpose of which is domiciliary care.
(E) “Maternity hospital” means a hospital that receives maternity patients exclusively,
for care during pregnancy, during delivery, or within 10 days after delivery.
(F) “Nonprofit hospital” means any hospital owned and operated by a corporation or association,
no part of the net earnings of which is applied, or may lawfully be applied, to the
benefit of any private shareholder or individual.
(G) “Proprietary hospital” means any hospital operated for individual gain or reward.
(H) “Psychiatric facility” means a type of psychiatric hospital, or separate unit of a
general hospital, where patients may obtain diagnostic services and receive intensive
treatment for mental illness and where only a minimum of continued treatment facilities
will be afforded.
(I) The provisions of this subdivision (1) do not apply to any of the following institutions:
(i) nursing and convalescent homes, boarding homes, homes for the aged, nurseries, and
institutions used primarily for domiciliary care;
(ii) any hospital conducted, maintained, or operated by the U.S. government or a duly authorized
agency thereof.
(2) “Person” means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, association,
or joint stock association, and the legal successor thereof.
(3) “Governmental unit” means a state, or political subdivision thereof, or any department,
division, board, or other agency of any of the foregoing.
(4) “Licensing agency” means the Department of Health. (Amended 1959, No. 329 (Adj. Sess.), § 27, eff. March 1, 1961; 1963, No. 154, § 2; 2003, No. 122 (Adj. Sess.), § 141d; 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 96; 2017, No. 113 (Adj. Sess.), § 65; 2023, No. 53, § 76, eff. June 8, 2023.)