Section 655.001. Definitions.

  In this chapter:

(1)  “Board of governors" means the board created under s. 619.04 (3) .

(2)  “Claimant" means the person filing a request for mediation under s. 655.44 or 655.445 .

(4)  “Department" means the department of health services.

(6)  “Fiscal year" means the period beginning on July 1 and ending on the following June 30.

(7)  “Fund" means the injured patients and families compensation fund under s. 655.27 .

(7m)  “Graduate medical education program" means a program approved by the medical examining board that provides postgraduate medical education and training for a person who possesses a diploma from a medical or osteopathic college or who has the equivalent education and experience from a foreign medical school recognized by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

(7t)  “Health care practitioner" means a health care professional, as defined in s. 180.1901 (1m) , who is an employee of a health care provider described in s. 655.002 (1) (d) , (e) , (em) , or (f) and who has the authority to provide health care services that are not in collaboration with a physician under s. 441.15 (2) (b) or under the direction and supervision of a physician or nurse anesthetist.

(8)  “Health care provider" means a person to whom this chapter applies under s. 655.002 (1) or a person who elects to be subject to this chapter under s. 655.002 (2) .

(8c)  “Insurer" includes a foreign insurer that is a risk retention group that issues health care liability insurance under this chapter.

(9)  “Nurse anesthetist" means a nurse licensed under ch. 441 or in a party state, as defined in s. 441.50 (2) (j) , who is certified as a nurse anesthetist by the American association of nurse anesthetists.

(10)  “Patient" means an individual who received or should have received health care services from a health care provider or from an employee of a health care provider acting within the scope of his or her employment.

(10m)  “Physician" means a medical or osteopathic physician licensed under ch. 448 .

(11)  “Principal place of practice" means any of the following:

(a) The state in which a health care provider furnishes health care services to more than 50 percent of his or her patients in a fiscal year.

(b) The state in which a health care provider derives more than 50 percent of his or her income in a fiscal year from the practice of his or her profession.

(12)  “Representative" means the personal representative, spouse, parent, guardian, attorney or other legal agent of a patient.

(13)  “Respondent" means the person alleged to have been negligent in a request for mediation filed under s. 655.44 or 655.445 .

(14)  “Self-insurance plan" means a plan approved by the commissioner to self-insure health care providers against medical malpractice claims in accordance with this chapter. A “self-insurance plan" may provide coverage to a single health care provider or affiliated health care providers.

Medical malpractice panels: The Wisconsin approach. Kravat. 61 MLR 55.

A summary of the new statutes governing medical malpractice. Saichek. WBB Oct. 1986.

Recent developments in Wisconsin medical malpractice law. 1974 WLR 893.

Testing the constitutionality of medical malpractice legislation: The Wisconsin medical malpractice act of 1975. 1977 WLR 838. See also: State ex rel. Strykowski v. Wilkie, 81 Wis. 2d 491 , 261 N.W.2d 434 (1978).