Definitions. As used in this chapter: (a) “Board” means the Health Care Professions Licensing Board established by this chapter. (b) “Board fund” means the Health Care Professions Licensing Board Fund, established by this chapter. (c) “Commonwealth” or “CNMI” means the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (d) “Doctor,” including “Dr.,” “D.O.,” “DDS” or “DDM” or “MD”, and “OD,” means a certain health care professional, like a physician or a dentist, but does not otherwise mean a person granted the highest degree of a university, typically a Doctor of Philosophy, or “Ph.D.,” which is not intended to address the practice of a health care profession. (e) “Electronic means” shall include telephone, video-conference, electronic telecommunications-mediated written, aural and/or video means, including mediated through the internet, a wireless service, and/or email; and shall further include the presentation, service, filing and storage of documents in their electronic form. (f) “Health care profession” means any system, treatment, operation, diagnosis, prescription or practice for the ascertainment, cure, relief, palliation, adjustment or correction of any human disease, ailment, deformity, injury, or unhealthy or abnormal physical or mental condition for the practice of which long periods of specialized education and training and a degree of specialized knowledge of an intellectual as well as physical nature are required. (g) “Health care professional” means a person who practices any one of the professions listed in 3 CMC § 2212 of this chapter. (h) “License” means a certificate issued to a person licensed, certified or otherwise approved to practice a health care profession by the Board. (i) “Licensee” means a person licensed, certified or otherwise approved to practice a health care profession by the Board. (j) “Licensure” means the process or condition of being licensed to practice a health care profession by the Board. (k) “Medical Profession Licensing Board” or “Medical Board” means the Board created pursuant to 1 CMC §§ 2641-42 by Public Law 3-30. (l) “Person” means a person real or legal, including a human being, and an artificial person, including government entity, non-governmental organization, association, corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, partnership, or sole proprietorship. (m) “State” includes a United States of America state, territory, tribal land, commonwealth, the District of Columbia, and any other U.S. jurisdiction other than the U.S. Government itself. (n) Rules of Construction:
(1) “Include,” “includes” or “including” means “include/s/ing but not limited to.” (2) The male, female and neuter/neutral shall each be read to mean the other, unless the context expressly excludes such interpretation. (3) The singular shall be read to mean the plural, and vice versa, except where the context specifically indicates otherwise. Source: PL 15-105, § 3(2202).