As used in this chapter, "clinic" means an organized outpatient health facility which provides direct medical, surgical, dental, optometric, or podiatric advice, services, or treatment to patients who remain less than 24 hours, and which may also provide diagnostic or therapeutic services to patients in the home as an incident to care provided at the clinic facility. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the provision of nursing services in a clinic licensed pursuant to this chapter. In no case shall a clinic be deemed to be a health facility subject to the provisions of Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1250) of this division. A place, establishment, or institution which solely provides advice, counseling, information, or referrals on the maintenance of health or on the means and measures to prevent or avoid sickness, disease, or injury, where such advice, counseling, information, or referrals does not constitute the practice of medicine, surgery, dentistry, optometry, or podiatry, shall not be deemed a clinic for purposes of this chapter.
References in this chapter to "primary care clinics" shall mean and designate all the types of clinics specified in subdivision (a) of Section 1204, including community clinics and free clinics. References in this chapter to specialty clinics shall mean and designate all the types of clinics specified in subdivision (b) of Section 1204, including surgical clinics, chronic dialysis clinics, and rehabilitation clinics.