Effective: September 29, 2013
Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly
As used in sections 1337.11 to 1337.17 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Adult" means a person who is eighteen years of age or older.
(B) "Attending physician" means the physician to whom a principal or the family of a principal has assigned primary responsibility for the treatment or care of the principal or, if the responsibility has not been assigned, the physician who has accepted that responsibility.
(C) "Comfort care" means any of the following:
(1) Nutrition when administered to diminish the pain or discomfort of a principal, but not to postpone death;
(2) Hydration when administered to diminish the pain or discomfort of a principal, but not to postpone death;
(3) Any other medical or nursing procedure, treatment, intervention, or other measure that is taken to diminish the pain or discomfort of a principal, but not to postpone death.
(D) "Consulting physician" means a physician who, in conjunction with the attending physician of a principal, makes one or more determinations that are required to be made by the attending physician, or to be made by the attending physician and one other physician, by an applicable provision of sections 1337.11 to 1337.17 of the Revised Code, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty and in accordance with reasonable medical standards.
(E) "Declaration for mental health treatment" has the same meaning as in section 2135.01 of the Revised Code.
(F) "Guardian" means a person appointed by a probate court pursuant to Chapter 2111. of the Revised Code to have the care and management of the person of an incompetent.
(G) "Health care" means any care, treatment, service, or procedure to maintain, diagnose, or treat an individual's physical or mental condition or physical or mental health.
(H) "Health care decision" means informed consent, refusal to give informed consent, or withdrawal of informed consent to health care.
(I) "Health care facility" means any of the following:
(1) A hospital;
(2) A hospice care program, pediatric respite care program, or other institution that specializes in comfort care of patients in a terminal condition or in a permanently unconscious state;
(3) A nursing home;
(4) A home health agency;
(5) An intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities;
(6) A regulated community mental health organization.
(J) "Health care personnel" means physicians, nurses, physician assistants, emergency medical technicians-basic, emergency medical technicians-intermediate, emergency medical technicians-paramedic, medical technicians, dietitians, other authorized persons acting under the direction of an attending physician, and administrators of health care facilities.
(K) "Home health agency" has the same meaning as in section 3701.881 of the Revised Code.
(L) "Hospice care program" and "pediatric respite care program" have the same meanings as in section 3712.01 of the Revised Code.
(M) "Hospital" has the same meanings as in sections 3701.01, 3727.01, and 5122.01 of the Revised Code.
(N) "Hydration" means fluids that are artificially or technologically administered.
(O) "Incompetent" has the same meaning as in section 2111.01 of the Revised Code.
(P) "Intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities" has the same meaning as in section 5124.01 of the Revised Code.
(Q) "Life-sustaining treatment" means any medical procedure, treatment, intervention, or other measure that, when administered to a principal, will serve principally to prolong the process of dying.
(R) "Medical claim" has the same meaning as in section 2305.113 of the Revised Code.
(S) "Mental health treatment" has the same meaning as in section 2135.01 of the Revised Code.
(T) "Nursing home" has the same meaning as in section 3721.01 of the Revised Code.
(U) "Nutrition" means sustenance that is artificially or technologically administered.
(V) "Permanently unconscious state" means a state of permanent unconsciousness in a principal that, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty as determined in accordance with reasonable medical standards by the principal's attending physician and one other physician who has examined the principal, is characterized by both of the following:
(1) Irreversible unawareness of one's being and environment.
(2) Total loss of cerebral cortical functioning, resulting in the principal having no capacity to experience pain or suffering.
(W) "Person" has the same meaning as in section 1.59 of the Revised Code and additionally includes political subdivisions and governmental agencies, boards, commissions, departments, institutions, offices, and other instrumentalities.
(X) "Physician" means a person who is authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery.
(Y) "Political subdivision" and "state" have the same meanings as in section 2744.01 of the Revised Code.
(Z) "Professional disciplinary action" means action taken by the board or other entity that regulates the professional conduct of health care personnel, including the state medical board and the board of nursing.
(AA) "Regulated community mental health organization" means a residential facility as defined and licensed under section 5119.34 of the Revised Code or a community mental health services provider as defined in section 5122.01 of the Revised Code.
(BB) "Terminal condition" means an irreversible, incurable, and untreatable condition caused by disease, illness, or injury from which, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty as determined in accordance with reasonable medical standards by a principal's attending physician and one other physician who has examined the principal, both of the following apply:
(1) There can be no recovery.
(2) Death is likely to occur within a relatively short time if life-sustaining treatment is not administered.
(CC) "Tort action" means a civil action for damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property, other than a civil action for damages for a breach of contract or another agreement between persons.