ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR., Governor                                Ch. 5

(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 functions that include at least one 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 § 13-503 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) A committee or individual designated by the holder of a pharmacy
permit, as defined in § 12-101 of this article, that performs the functions listed in
subsection (c) of this section, as part of a pharmacy's ongoing quality assurance
program;

(7) 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;

(8) 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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