As used in this article:

(1) "Advance duties" means medical acts that require additional training beyond the basic education program training required for licensure as a physician assistant.

(2) "Alternate collaborating physician" means one or more physicians licensed in this state and designated by the collaborating physician to provide collaboration with a physician assistant in accordance with an authorized practice agreement.

(3) "Approved program" means an educational program for physician assistants approved and accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant or its successor. Prior to 2001, approval and accreditation would have been by either the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation or the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.

(4) "Boards" means the West Virginia Board of Medicine and the West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine.

(5) "Chronic condition" means a condition which lasts three months or more, generally cannot be prevented by vaccines, can be controlled but not cured by medication, and does not generally disappear. These conditions include, but are not limited to, arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and seizures, and obesity.

(6) "Collaborating physician" means a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, or podiatry fully licensed, by the appropriate board in this state, without restriction or limitation, who collaborates with physician assistants.

(7) "Collaboration" means overseeing the activities of the medical services rendered by a physician assistant. Constant physical presence of the collaborating physician is not required as long as the collaborating physician and physician assistant are, or can be, easily in contact with one another by telecommunication. Collaboration does not require the personal presence of the collaborating physician at the place or places where services are rendered.

(8) "Endorsement" means a summer camp or volunteer endorsement authorized under this article.

(9) "Health care facility" means any licensed hospital, nursing home, extended care facility, state health or mental institution, clinic, or physician"s office.

(10) "Hospital" means a facility licensed pursuant to §16-5B-1 et seq. of this code and any acute-care facility operated by the state government that primarily provides inpatient diagnostic, treatment, or rehabilitative services to injured, disabled, or sick persons under the supervision of physicians and includes psychiatric hospitals.

(11) "License" means a license issued by either of the boards pursuant to the provisions of this article.

(12) "Licensee" means a person licensed pursuant to the provisions of this article.

(13) "Physician" means a doctor of allopathic or osteopathic medicine who is fully licensed pursuant to the provisions of either §30-3-1 et seq. or §30-14-1 et seq. of this code to practice medicine and surgery in this state.

(14) "Physician assistant" means a person who meets the qualifications set forth in this article and is licensed pursuant to this article to practice medicine under collaboration.

(15) "Practice agreement" means a document that is executed between a collaborating physician and a physician assistant pursuant to the provisions of this article, and is filed with and approved by the appropriate licensing board.

(16) "Practice notification" means a written notice to the appropriate licensing board that a physician assistant will practice in collaboration with one or more physicians in a hospital in the state of West Virginia.