Ch. 529                                    1996 LAWS OF MARYLAND

4. A community health center that is a nonprofit, freestanding
ambulatory health care provider governed by a voluntary board of directors and that
provides primary health care services to the medically indigent.

(3)     "Medical review committee" means a committee or board that:

(i) Is within one of the categories described in subsection (b) of this
section; and

(ii) Performs any of the functions listed in subsection (c) of this
section.

(4)     (i) "Provider of health care" means any person who is licensed by law
to provide health care to individuals.

(ii) "Provider of health care" does not include any nursing institution
that is conducted by and for those who rely on treatment by spiritual means through
prayer alone in accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or
religious denomination.

(5)     "The Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems"
means the State agency described in § 13-1D-03 of the Education Article.

(b) For purposes of this section, a medical review committee is:

(1)     A regulatory board or agency established by State or federal law to
license, certify, or discipline any provider of health care;

(2)     A committee of the Faculty or any of its component societies or a
committee of any other professional society or association composed of providers of
health care;

(3)     A committee appointed by or established in a local health department
for review purposes;

(4)     A committee appointed by or established in the Maryland Institute for
Emergency Medical Services Systems;

(5)     A committee of the medical staff or other committee, including any risk
management, credentialing, or utilization review committee established in accordance
with § 19-319 of the Health - General Article, of a hospital, related institution, or
alternative health care system, if the governing board of the hospital, related institution,
or alternative health care system forms and approves the committee or approves the
written bylaws under which the committee operates;

(6)     Any person, including a professional standard review organization, who
contracts with an agency of this State or of the federal government to perform any of the
functions listed in subsection (c) of this section;

(7)     Any person who contracts with a provider of health care to perform any
of those functions listed in subsection (c) of this section that are limited to the review of
services provided by the provider of health care;

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