(1) Except where the context otherwise requires in subsection (2) of this section, as used in Sections 85-7-301 through 85-7-315, the term:

(a) “Qualifying hospital” means any hospital designated as a burn center by the State Department of Health.

(b) “Qualifying practice” means any physician practice that provides care, treatment or services to a patient who has been admitted to a qualifying hospital.

(c) “Care, treatment or services” means burn care or burn-related treatment, or services furnished by a qualifying hospital or qualifying practice.

(d) “Uncompensated traumatic burn care” means any portion of care, treatment or services rendered by a qualifying hospital or qualifying practice with respect to a patient whose burn care, treatment or services arose out of a single accident or occurrence for which the qualifying hospital or qualifying practice did not receive payment.

(2) Any person, firm, authority or corporation operating a qualifying hospital or qualifying practice providing traumatic burn care in this state shall have a lien for the reasonable charges for care, treatment or services of an injured person for uncompensated traumatic burn care, which lien shall be only upon any and all causes of action accruing to the person to whom the care was furnished or to the legal representative of the person on account of injuries that gave rise to the causes of action and that necessitated the care, treatment or services, subject and subordinate, however, to any attorney’s lien or fees. The lien provided for in this subsection is only a lien against those causes of action and shall not be a lien against the injured person, the legal representative, or any other property or assets of those persons and shall not be evidence of the person’s failure to pay a debt. This subsection shall not be construed to interfere with the exemption from Sections 85-7-301 through 85-7-315 provided by Section 85-7-309, nor shall this subsection prohibit an injured person or his legal representative from negotiating with a qualifying hospital or practice.