For purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings:

1. (1) COUNCIL. The Hospital Discharge Data Advisory Council established under Section 22-21-416.
2. (2) DEPARTMENT. The Alabama Department of Public Health.
3. (3) DISCHARGE DATA. Data regarding a patient’s discharge as an inpatient or outpatient from a hospital, as required on the UB-04 claim form, or any successor form, and on other forms that include services provided for covered inpatient and outpatient discharges.
4. (4) HOSPITAL. General acute care, critical access and specialized hospitals, as well as any freestanding emergency department that is separately licensed by the department as a provider-based division of a hospital, as defined by rules of the department and licensed pursuant to Article 2 of this chapter and that are located in this state.

(Act 2021-129, §1.)