The following words, when used in this article, have meanings ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

(a) "Board" means the physician/medical practitioner provider Medicaid enhancement board created to develop, review and recommend the physician/medical practitioner provider fee schedule;

(b) "Physician provider" means an allopathic or osteopathic physician, rendering services within this state and receiving reimbursement, directly as an individual provider or indirectly as an employee or agent of a medical clinic, partnership or other business entity;

(c) "Nurse practitioner" means a registered nurse qualified by virtue of his or her education and credentials and approved by the West Virginia board of examiners for registered professional nurses to practice as an advanced practice nurse independently or in a collaborative relationship with a physician;

(d) "Nurse-midwife" means a qualified professional nurse registered with the West Virginia board of examiners for registered professional nurses who by virtue of additional training is specifically qualified to practice nurse-midwifery according to the statement of standards for the practice of nurse-midwifery as set forth by the American college of nurse-midwives;

(e) "Physician assistant" means an assistant to a physician who is a graduate of an approved program of instruction in primary health care or surgery, has attained a baccalaureate or master's degree, has passed the national certification examination and is qualified to perform direct patient care services under the supervision of a physician;

(f) "Registered nurse first assistant" means one who:

(1) Holds a current active registered nurse licensure;

(2) Is certified in perioperative nursing; and

(3) Has successfully completed and holds a degree or certificate from a recognized program which consists of:

(A) The association of operating room nurses, inc., care curriculum for the registered nurse first assistant; and

(B) One year of post-basic nursing study, which shall include at least forty-five hours of didactic instruction and one hundred twenty hours of clinical internship or its equivalent of two college semesters;

A registered nurse who was certified by the certification board of perioperative nursing before one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven is not required to fulfill the requirements of subdivision (3) of this subsection;

(g) "Perioperative nursing" means a practice of nursing in which the nurse provides preoperative, intraoperative and post-operative nursing care to surgical patients;

(h) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources; and

(i) "Single state agency" means the single state agency for Medicaid in this state.