Wherever the term physician is used in this article, it shall include chiropractor.
§ 8.01-66.12.Term physician to include chiropractor.
Chapter 3. Actions · Article 7.1. Lien for Hospital, Medical and Nursing Services · Last amended 1993 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-66.12 provides that wherever the term physician appears in this article’s lien and notice provisions, it is defined to include a chiropractor as well.
Full Text of § 8.01-66.12
Plain-English Summary
Section 8.01-66.12 is a one-line definitional provision that extends the reach of Article 7.1. Wherever the term physician appears throughout the article — in the lien provisions, the notice requirements, the reasonableness hearings, and the enforcement procedures — it is read to include a chiropractor.
The practical effect is that a chiropractor who treats an injured person can assert the same lien rights, and is subject to the same notice and dispute procedures, as any other physician described elsewhere in this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a chiropractor claim a lien under Virginia’s medical lien statutes?
Yes. Section 8.01-66.12 provides that wherever the term physician is used in this article, it includes a chiropractor, giving chiropractors the same lien rights as other physicians.
Does this definition apply to the whole article or just one section?
It applies wherever physician is used throughout this article, including the lien, notice, and dispute provisions found in §§ 8.01-66.2 through 8.01-66.11.
Are chiropractors subject to the same lien cap as physicians?
Because the term physician includes chiropractor throughout the article, a chiropractor’s lien falls under the same category and cap that applies to physicians under § 8.01-66.2.
Does this section create any new rights beyond the definition itself?
No. It is purely definitional — it does not add new lien rights but ensures chiropractors are treated as physicians wherever that term appears in the article.
Why would Virginia law need to specify that physician includes chiropractor?
Without this provision, it might be unclear whether a chiropractor — who is not a physician in the conventional sense — qualifies for the lien and notice provisions written in terms of physicians; this section removes that ambiguity.
Amendment History
1993, c. 702.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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