Washington § 18.134.010 - Definitions. (Effective until June 30, 2027.)

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Disciplining authority" means an entity to which a state has granted the authority to license, certify, or discipline individuals who provide health care.

(2) "Electronic" means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities.

(3) "Health care" means care, treatment, or a service or procedure, to maintain, monitor, diagnose, or otherwise affect an individual's physical or behavioral health, injury, or condition.

(4)(a) "Health care practitioner" means:

(i) A physician licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW;

(ii) An osteopathic physician or surgeon licensed under chapter 18.57 RCW;

(iii) A podiatric physician and surgeon licensed under chapter 18.22 RCW;

(iv) An advanced registered nurse practitioner licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW;

(v) A naturopath licensed under chapter 18.36A RCW;

(vi) A physician assistant licensed under chapter 18.71A RCW; or

(vii) A person who is otherwise authorized to practice a profession regulated under the authority of RCW 18.130.040 to provide health care in this state, to the extent the profession's scope of practice includes health care that can be provided through telehealth.

(b) "Health care practitioner" does not include a veterinarian licensed under chapter 18.92 RCW.

(5) "Professional practice standard" includes:

(a) A standard of care;

(b) A standard of professional ethics; and

(c) A practice requirement imposed by a disciplining authority.

(6) "Scope of practice" means the extent of a health care practitioner's authority to provide health care.

(7) "State" means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any other territory or possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The term includes a federally recognized Indian tribe.

(8) "Telecommunication technology" means technology that supports communication through electronic means. The term is not limited to regulated technology or technology associated with a regulated industry.

(9) "Telehealth" includes telemedicine and means the use of synchronous or asynchronous telecommunication technology by a practitioner to provide health care to a patient at a different physical location than the practitioner. "Telehealth" does not include the use, in isolation, of email, instant messaging, text messaging, or fax.

(10) "Telehealth services" means health care provided through telehealth.