O.C.G.A. § 31-8-31 (2019)

As used in this article, the term:

(1) ‘‘Area of operation’’ shall, for the purpose of hospital authorities, have the same meaning as defined in paragraph (1) of Code Section 31-7-71 and, for purposes of all other hospitals, shall be the county in which the hospital is located.

(2) ‘‘Cost of care’’ means the cost of services rendered by a hospital at the reimbursement rate currently in effect for the hospital under the medical assistance program for the needy under Title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.A. Section 1396, et seq.), as amended, but shall not include any portion of such cost which is paid by the indigent patient, by the spouse or a relative of the indigent patient, by insurance, or by any governmental or other public agency pursuant to any federal, state, or local program paying cost of health care for indigent patients, other than the program established by this article.

(2.1) ‘‘Department’’ means the Department of Community Health.

(3) ‘‘Fiscal year’’ means the period beginning on July 1 of each year and ending on June 30 of the immediately following year.

(4) ‘‘Fund’’ means the Nonresident Indigent Health Care Fund created by Code Section 31-8-33.

(5) ‘‘Health care’’ means the following services for nonresident inpatients and outpatients:

(A) Emergency care or treatment;

(B) Treatment for conditions of pregnancy and treatment of the newborn infant from the time of birth until the time of discharge from the hospital;

(C) Treatment for a potentially disabling illness or injury when treatment for such illness or injury is not available for indigent patients in the county of residence of the patient; and

(D) Treatment for any combination of the foregoing.

(6) ‘‘Hospital’’ means a hospital which is permitted to operate by the department pursuant to Article 1 of Chapter 7 of this title.

(7) ‘‘Hospital authority’’ means a hospital authority created pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 7 of this title.

(8) ‘‘Indigent patient’’ means a nonresident patient who is certified as an indigent pursuant to Code Section 31-8-32.

(9) ‘‘Nonresident patient’’ means a person who receives health care from a hospital and who is a resident of this state but who is not a resident of the area of operation of the hospital providing such health care.