(a) “Health-care service” means any phase of patient medical care, treatment or procedure, including, but not limited to, the following: patient referral, counseling, therapy, testing, diagnosis or prognosis, research, instruction, prescribing, dispensing or administering any device, drug, or medication, surgery, or any other care or treatment rendered by health-care providers or health-care institutions.

(b) “Health-care provider” means any individual who may be asked to participate in any way in a health-care service, including, but not limited to: a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse, nurses’ aide, medical assistant, hospital employee, clinic employee, nursing home employee, pharmacist, pharmacy employee, researcher, medical or nursing school faculty, student or employee, counselor, social worker or any professional, paraprofessional, or any other person who furnishes, or assists in the furnishing of, a health-care procedure.

(c) “Health-care institution” means any public or private organization, corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, association, agency, network, joint venture, or other entity that is involved in providing health-care services, including, but not limited to: hospitals, clinics, medical centers, ambulatory surgical centers, private physician’s offices, pharmacies, nursing homes, university medical schools and nursing schools, medical training facilities, or other institutions or locations where health-care procedures are provided to any person.

(d) “Health-care payer” means any entity or employer that contracts for, pays for, or arranges for the payment of, in whole or in part, a health-care service, including, but not limited to, health maintenance organizations, health plans, insurance companies or management services organizations.

(e) “Employer” means any individual or entity that pays for or provides health benefits or health insurance coverage as a benefit to its employees, whether through a third party, a health maintenance organization, a program of self-insurance, or some other means.

(f) “Participate” in a health-care service means to counsel, advise, provide, perform, assist in, refer for, admit for purposes of providing, or participate in providing, any health-care service or any form of such service.

(g) “Pay” or “payment” means pay, contract for, or otherwise arrange for the payment of, in whole or in part.

(h) “Conscience” means the religious, moral or ethical principles held by a health-care provider, the health-care institution or health-care payer. For purposes of this chapter, a health-care institution or health-care payer’s conscience shall be determined by reference to its existing or proposed religious, moral or ethical guidelines, mission statement, constitution, bylaws, articles of incorporation, regulations or other relevant documents.