Bill > H2039

This bill amends Section 52 of Chapter 111 of the General Laws to redefine the term "clinic." Previously, a clinic was broadly defined as any entity providing ambulatory medical, surgical, dental, physical rehabilitation, or mental health services. The proposed changes expand this definition to specifically include any entity, not a hospital, that performs more than ten abortions per year. It also includes entities using names like "clinic," "dispensary," or "institute" that suggest such services are offered. However, the bill clarifies that a medical office building or a solo or group practice is not considered a clinic if the practitioners within it perform ten or fewer abortions annually and are wholly owned and controlled by the practitioners themselves, or by a not-for-profit organization whose members are the practitioners. The definition continues to exclude clinics operated by licensed hospitals or government entities.