Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 32 > Chapter 13 - Medicine and Surgery

• Active license: means a valid and existing license to practice medicine. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Adequate records: means legible medical records, produced by hand or electronically, containing, at a minimum, sufficient information to identify the patient, support the diagnosis, justify the treatment, accurately document the results, indicate advice and cautionary warnings provided to the patient and provide sufficient information for another practitioner to assume continuity of the patient's care at any point in the course of treatment. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Advisory letter: means a nondisciplinary letter to notify a licensee that either:

  (a) While there is insufficient evidence to support disciplinary action, the board believes that continuation of the activities that led to the investigation may result in further board action against the licensee. See Arizona Laws 32-1401

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Approved school of medicine: means any school or college offering a course of study that, on successful completion, results in the degree of doctor of medicine and whose course of study has been approved or accredited by an educational or professional association, recognized by the board, including the association of American medical colleges, the association of Canadian medical colleges or the American medical association. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Board: means the Arizona medical board. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Board: means the Arizona early childhood development and health board established by this chapter. See Arizona Laws 8-1152
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Completed application: means that the applicant has supplied all required fees, information and correspondence requested by the board on forms and in a manner acceptable to the board. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Direct supervision: means that a physician, physician assistant licensed pursuant to chapter 25 of this title or nurse practitioner certified pursuant to chapter 15 of this title is within the same room or office suite as the medical assistant in order to be available for consultation regarding those tasks the medical assistant performs pursuant to section 32-1456. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Director: means the director of the department. See Arizona Laws 8-201
• Dispense: means the delivery by a doctor of medicine of a prescription drug or device to a patient, except for samples packaged for individual use by licensed manufacturers or repackagers of drugs, and includes the prescribing, administering, packaging, labeling and security necessary to prepare and safeguard the drug or device for delivery. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Doctor of medicine: means a natural person holding a license, registration or permit to practice medicine pursuant to this chapter. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
• Full-time faculty member: means a physician who is employed full time as a faculty member while holding the academic position of assistant professor or a higher position at an approved school of medicine. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Health care institution: means any facility as defined in section 36-401, any person authorized to transact disability insurance, as defined in Title 20, Chapter 6, Article 4 or 5, any person who is issued a certificate of authority pursuant to Title 20, Chapter 4, Article 9 or any other partnership, association or corporation that provides health care to consumers. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Immediate family: means the spouse, natural or adopted children, father, mother, brothers and sisters of the doctor of medicine and the natural or adopted children, father, mother, brothers and sisters of the doctor of medicine's spouse. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Letter of reprimand: means a disciplinary letter that is issued by the board and that informs the physician that the physician's conduct violates state or federal law and may require the board to monitor the physician. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Limit: means taking a nondisciplinary action that alters the physician's practice or professional activities if the board determines that there is evidence that the physician is or may be mentally or physically unable to safely engage in the practice of medicine. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Medical assistant: means an unlicensed person who meets the requirements of section 32-1456, has completed an education program approved by the board, assists in a medical practice under the supervision of a doctor of medicine, physician assistant or nurse practitioner and performs delegated procedures commensurate with the medical assistant's education and training but does not diagnose, interpret, design or modify established treatment programs or perform any functions that would violate any statute applicable to the practice of medicine. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Medical peer review: means :

  (a) The participation by a doctor of medicine in the review and evaluation of the medical management of a patient and the use of resources for patient care. See Arizona Laws 32-1401

• Medically incompetent: means a person who the board determines is incompetent based on a variety of factors, including:

  (a) A lack of sufficient medical knowledge or skills, or both, to a degree likely to endanger the health of patients. See Arizona Laws 32-1401

• medication-assisted treatment: means the use of pharmacological medications that are approved by the United States food and drug administration, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a whole patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. See Arizona Laws 32-3201.01
• Medicine: means allopathic medicine as practiced by the recipient of a degree of doctor of medicine. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Minor: means a person under eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Moral turpitude: means an offense, whether a misdemeanor or felony, that is related to extortion, burglary, larceny, bribery, embezzlement, robbery, racketeering, money laundering, forgery, fraud, murder, voluntary manslaughter or a sexual offense that requires the individual to register pursuant to section 13-3821. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Office-based surgery: means a medical procedure conducted in a physician's office or other outpatient setting that is not part of a licensed hospital or licensed ambulatory surgical center. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Physician: means a doctor of medicine who is licensed pursuant to this chapter. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Restrict: means taking a disciplinary action that alters the physician's practice or professional activities if the board determines that there is evidence that the physician is or may be medically incompetent or guilty of unprofessional conduct. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• sexual conduct: includes :

  (i) Engaging in or soliciting sexual relationships, whether consensual or nonconsensual. See Arizona Laws 32-1401

• Special purpose licensing examination: means an examination that is developed by the national board of medical examiners on behalf of the federation of state medical boards for use by state licensing boards to test the basic medical competence of physicians who are applying for licensure and who have been in practice for a considerable period of time in another jurisdiction and to determine the competence of a physician who is under investigation by a state licensing board. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• subscription: includes a mark, if a person cannot write, with the person's name written near it and witnessed by a person who writes the person's own name as witness. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Teaching license: means a valid license to practice medicine as a full-time faculty member of an approved school of medicine or a teaching hospital's accredited graduate medical education program. See Arizona Laws 32-1401
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Unprofessional conduct: includes the following, whether occurring in this state or elsewhere:

  (a) Violating any federal or state laws, rules or regulations applicable to the practice of medicine. See Arizona Laws 32-1401