2005 West Virginia Code - §30-3-4. — Definitions.

§30-3-4. Definitions.
As used in this article:
(1) "Board" means the West Virginia board of medicine established in section five of this article. Whenever any other provision of this code refers to the "medical licensing board of West Virginia", the reference shall be construed to mean and refer to the "West Virginia board of medicine" as created and established in this article.
(2) "Medical peer review committee" means a committee of, or appointed by, a state or local professional medical society, or a committee of, or appointed by, a medical staff of a licensed hospital, long-term care facility or other health care facility, or any health care peer review organization as defined in section one, article three-c of this chapter, or any other organization of professionals in this state formed pursuant to state or federal law and authorized to evaluate medical and health care services.
(3) "Practice of medicine and surgery" means the diagnosis or treatment of, or operation or prescription for, any human disease, pain, injury, deformity or other physical or mental condition.
(4) "Practice of podiatry" means the examination, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and care of conditions and functions of the human foot and ankle by medical, surgical and other scientific knowledge and methods; with surgical treatment of the ankle authorized only when a podiatrist has been granted privileges to perform ankle surgery by a hospital's medical staff credentialingcommittee based on the training and experience of the podiatrist; and medical and surgical treatment of warts and other dermatological lesions of the hand which similarly occur in the foot. When a podiatrist uses other than local anesthesia, in surgical treatment of the foot, the anesthesia must be administered by, or under the direction of, an anesthesiologist or certified registered nurse anesthetist authorized under the state of West Virginia to administer anesthesia. A medical evaluation shall be made by a physician of every patient prior to the administration of other than local anesthesia.
(5) "State director of health" means the state director of health or his or her designee, which designee shall act as secretary of the board and shall carry out any and all responsibilities assigned in this article to the secretary of the board.