{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-304.40-260","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 304.40-260","heading":"Definitions.","body":"As used in KRS 304.40 -250 to 304.40 -320, the following words and terms shall be\ndefined as follows:\n(1) \"Health care provider\" means any physician, osteopath, dentist, podiatrist, nurse or\nnurse's assistant, certified registered nurse anesthetist, physical  or occupational\ntherapist, or psychologist, licensed to practice health care in this state; any hospital,\nmedical clinic, medical foundation, health maintenance organization, extended care\nfacility, intermediate care facility, nursing home, emergency trea tment center,\noutpatient medical or surgical center, frontier nursing service, or any other facility\nor service licensed under any act of this state to provide health care within this state;\nor any officer, director, employer agent thereof; and any corpora tion, partnership or\nsole proprietorship which directly provides medical services to its employees;\n(2) \"Commissioner\" means the commissioner of the Department of Insurance;\n(3) \"Patient\" means a natural person who receives health care from a licensed heal th\ncare provider under a contract, express or implied;\n(4) \"Claimant\" means the patient or spouse, parent, guardian, trustee, or other\nauthorized agent of the patient;\n(5) \"Tort\" means any legal wrong, breach of duty, or negligent or unlawful act or\nomission proximately causing injury or damage to another;\n(6) \"Malpractice\" means any tort or breach of contract based on health care or\nprofessional services rendered, or which should have been rendered, by a health\ncare provider to the patient;\n(7) \"Health care\" means any act, or treatment performed or furnished, or which should\nhave been performed or furnished, by any health care provider to a patient during\nthat patient's care, treatment, or confinement for a physical or mental condition; and\n(8) \"Malpractice insurer\" means any insurance authority or any insurance company\nproperly engaged in the practice of writing malpractice liability insurance under\nauthority of the commissioner of insurance.","path":[],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30083","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:57:58Z","sha256":"d5f9f408a84c02b90270642b51f31879f597185306257dc5033c099260637975","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-304.40-250","next":"us-ky/krs-304.40-270"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}