Section 144-720-I - General DefinitionsA. The following terms used in these regulations shall have the meaning specified. 1.Department means the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.2.Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT)means prescribing, dispensing, furnishing, or otherwise providing prescription antibiotic drugs to the sexual partner(s) of a person clinically diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease without physical examination of the partner(s).3.Health Care Professional means an a.allopathic physician licensed pursuant to Title 32, chapter 48; b. an osteopathic physician licensed pursuant to Title 32, chapter 36; c. a physician assistant who has been delegated the provision of sexually transmitted disease therapy or expedited partner therapy by that physician assistant's supervising physician; d. an advanced practice registered nurse who (1) has a written collaborative agreement with a collaborating physician that authorizes the provision of sexually transmitted disease therapy or expedited partner therapy, or (2) who possesses appropriate clinical privileges in accordance with Title 32, chapter 31.4.Patient means an individual presenting signs of infection with a sexually transmitted disease eligible for Expedited Partner Therapy.5.Sex Partner(s) or Partner(s) means a person who has engaged in vaginal, anal or oral sex with the patient eligible for Expedited Partner Therapy.6.Sexually transmitted disease (STD) means a bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic disease determined by rule of the department to be sexually transmitted, to be a threat to the public health and welfare, and to be a disease for which a legitimate public interest will be served by providing for its regulation and treatment.10- 144 C.M.R. ch. 720, § I