Section 10. Definitions

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Commissioner" means the State Health Commissioner or his designee.

"Data exchange" means electronically sending immunization information from an existing information system to VIIS and being able to retrieve information from VIIS.

"De-duplication" means the process in information systems that matches incoming data with existing client records and merges those identified as the same client.

"Health care entity" means any health care provider, health plan, or health care clearinghouse.

"Health care provider" means those entities listed in § 8.01-581.1 of the Code of Virginia, except that state-operated facilities shall also be considered health care providers for the purposes of this section. Health care provider shall also include all persons who are licensed, certified, registered, or permitted or who hold a multistate licensure privilege issued by any of the health regulatory boards within the Department of Health Professions, except persons regulated by the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers or the Board of Veterinary Medicine.

"Health plan" means an individual or group plan that provides or pays the cost of medical care and shall include any entity included in such definition as set out in 45 CFR 160.103.

"Participant" means a person or organization with a VIIS account.

"Patient" means the client who is receiving health services.

"Public health emergency" means any (i) public health event caused by an act of bio-terrorism or vaccine-preventable disease outbreak or (ii) other public health event resulting from natural or human cause.

"Security role" means the level of security assigned to a participant that determines what information the individual may access in the application and what system functions may be performed.

"VDH" or "Department of Health" means the Virginia Department of Health.

"Virginia Immunization Information System" or "VIIS" means the statewide immunization registry.

"VITA" means the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 31, Issue 22, eff. July 31, 2015.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-46.01 of the Code of Virginia.