Source: https://www.hortyspringer.com/peer-review-statutes-by-state/idaho-peer-review-statute/
Timestamp: 2019-03-26 04:23:32
Document Index: 628211833

Matched Legal Cases: ['§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39']

Idaho Peer Review Statute
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Idaho Code §39-1392a. Definitions.
The following terms shall have the following meanings when used in this section:
(1) “Emergency medical services personnel” means emergency medical services providers certified by the department of health and welfare pursuant to section 56-1011 et seq., Idaho Code, and ambulance-based clinicians as defined in the rules governing emergency medical services as promulgated by the department of health and welfare.
(2) “Group medical practice” means a partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or other association formed for the purpose of offering health care services through physicians and other licensed or otherwise authorized health care providers who are partners, shareholders, members, employees, or contractors of such group medical practice.
(3) “Health care organization” means a hospital, in-hospital medical staff committee, medical society, managed care organization, licensed emergency medical service, group medical practice, residential care facility or skilled nursing facility.
(4) “Hospital” means a facility in Idaho licensed under sections 39-1301 through 39-1314, Idaho Code, and defined in section 39-1301(a)(1), Idaho Code.
(5) “In-hospital medical staff committees” means any individual doctor who is a hospital staff member, or any hospital employee, or any group of such doctors and/or hospital employees, who are duly designated a committee by hospital staff bylaws, by action of an organized hospital staff, or by action of the board of directors of a hospital, and which committee is authorized by said bylaws, staff or board of directors, to conduct research or study of hospital patient cases, or of medical questions or problems using data and information from hospital patient cases.
(6) “Licensed emergency medical service” means an ambulance service or a nontransport service licensed by the department of health and welfare pursuant to section 56-1011 et seq., Idaho Code.
(7) “Managed care organization” means a public or private person or organization which offers a managed care plan.
(8) “Managed care plan” means a contract of coverage given to an individual, family or group of covered individuals pursuant to which a member is entitled to receive a defined set of health care benefits through an organized system of health care providers in exchange for defined consideration and which requires the member to use, or creates financial incentives for the member to use, health care providers owned, managed, employed by or under contract with the managed care organization.
(9) “Medical society” means any duly constituted, authorized and recognized professional society or entity made up of physicians licensed to practice medicine in Idaho, having as its purpose the maintenance of high quality in the standards of health care provided in Idaho or any region or segment of the state, operating with the approval of the Idaho state board of medicine, or any official committee appointed by the Idaho state board of medicine.
(10) “Patient care records” means written or otherwise recorded, preserved and maintained records of the medical or surgical diagnostic, clinical, or therapeutic care of any patient treated by or under the direction of licensed professional personnel, including emergency medical services personnel, in every health care organization subject to this act, whether as an inpatient or outpatient of the health care organization.
(11) “Peer review” means the collection, interpretation and analysis of data by a health care organization for the purpose of bettering the system of delivery of health care or to improve the provision of health care or to otherwise reduce patient morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of patient care. Peer review activities by a health care organization include, without limitation:
(c) Professional review action, meaning an action or recommendation of a health care organization which is taken or made in the conduct of peer review, that is based on the competence or professional conduct of an individual physician or emergency medical services personnel where such conduct adversely affects or could adversely affect the health or welfare of a patient or the physician’s privileges, employment or membership in the health care organization or in the case of emergency medical services personnel, the emergency medical services personnel’s scope of practice, employment or membership in the health care organization.
(12) “Peer review records” means all evidence of interviews, reports, statements, minutes, memoranda, notes, investigative graphs and compilations and the contents thereof, and all physical materials relating to peer review of any health care organization. “Peer review records” does not mean or include patient care records; provided however, that the records relating to the identification of which particular patient care records were selected for, or reviewed, examined or discussed in peer review by a health care organization and the methodology used for selecting such records shall be considered peer review records.
(13) “Skilled nursing facility” means a facility licensed under chapter 13, title 39, Idaho Code, to provide skilled care to recipients.
§39-1392b. Records confidential and privileged.
Except as provided in section 39-1392e, Idaho Code, all peer review records shall be confidential and privileged, and shall not be directly or indirectly subject to subpoena or discovery proceedings or be admitted as evidence, nor shall testimony relating thereto be admitted in evidence, or in any action of any kind in any court or before any administrative body, agency or person for any purpose whatsoever. No order of censure, suspension or revocation of licensure, or of a certification in the case of emergency medical services personnel, or health care organization privilege of any physician licensed to practice medicine in Idaho shall be admissible in any civil proceeding seeking damages or other civil relief against the physician, emergency medical services personnel, or health care organization which may be a defendant in said cause. However, this section shall not prohibit or otherwise affect the use of documents, materials or testimony in health care organization proceedings, nor shall it prohibit or otherwise affect the dissemination, for medical purposes, of information contained in such documents or materials or the conclusions and findings of such health care organization. This section shall not affect the admissibility in evidence in any action or proceeding of the patient care records of any patient.
§39-1392c. Immunity from civil liability.
The furnishing of information or provision of opinions to any health care organization or the receiving and use of such information and opinions shall not subject any health care organization or other person to any liability or action for money damages or other legal or equitable relief. Custodians of such records and persons becoming aware of such data and opinions shall not disclose the same except as authorized by rules adopted by the board of medicine or as otherwise authorized by law. Any health care organization may receive such disclosures, subject to an obligation to preserve the confidential privileged character thereof and subject further to the requirement that such requests shall be made and such use shall be limited to aid the health care organization in conducting peer review.
§39-1392d. Property of health care organization.
All peer review records of a health care organization shall be the property of the health care organization concerned which obtains or compiles the same. A health care organization may provide peer review records to persons or entities that perform accreditation, certification or quality assurance review or evaluation of the health care organization. The provision of any peer review records to such persons or entities shall not be deemed to be a waiver by the health care organization of any peer review privilege. Persons and entities receiving peer review records shall preserve the confidential privileged character thereof and such persons and entities shall not be subject to subpoena or order compelling production of peer review records. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to require the health care organization to provide persons or entities with peer review records. A health care organization may provide peer review records to persons or entities with whom the health care organization is affiliated through any common ownership interest or by contract, which affiliation or contract includes the person’s or entity’s involvement in the peer review process or the provision of any management or administrative services to the health care organization. The provision of peer review records to such persons or entities shall not be deemed to be a waiver by the health care organization of any peer review privilege. Such persons and entities receiving peer review records shall preserve the confidential privileged character thereof, and such persons and entities shall not be subject to any subpoena or order compelling production of peer review records. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to require the health care organization to provide such persons or entities with peer review records. This section shall in no way impair the rights of individuals conducting such research or studies in the exercise of any right or the discharge of any legitimate responsibility which they may have in connection with such research or studies and the results thereof. Nothing in this act shall be construed as restricting or altering the rights of inspection and copying by patients and their duly authorized representatives with respect to such patients’ official patient care records, which right of copying and inspection and use of patient care records and their contents in appropriate judicial proceedings is unaltered by this enactment.
§39-1392e. Limited exceptions to privilege and confidentiality.
(a) In the event of a claim or civil action against a physician, emergency medical services personnel, a hospital, a residential care facility or a skilled nursing facility arising out of a particular physician-patient, emergency medical services personnel-patient, hospital-patient, residential care facility-patient or skilled nursing facility-patient relationship, or which concerns the sufficiency of the delivery of particular health care to a specific patient, any health care organization having information of the kind covered by section 39-1392b, Idaho Code, shall, when interrogated as hereinafter provided, advise any such claimant who is or was such a patient or who, in a representative capacity, acts on behalf of such patient or his heirs, as follows:
(1) Whether it has conducted or has in progress an inquiry, proceeding or disciplinary matter regarding the quality or propriety of the health care involved, which concerns the subject patient while he was under the care or responsibility of a member of such health care organization or while he was a patient in such hospital or facility; and, if so,
(2) Whether disposition of any kind resulted or will result therefrom; and, if so,
(3) What the disposition was, or, if not yet determined, approximately when it will be determined.
Such disclosure of information shall be limited to the health care organization’s actions in connection with the physician, emergency medical services personnel, hospital or skilled nursing facility against whom such claim is asserted.
(b) Such a claimant shall likewise be entitled to inquire of such health care organization respecting the names and addresses of persons who such health care organization knows to have direct knowledge of the provision of the health care in question, such inquiry to be limited, however, to the particular patient and the particular times and occasions germane to the specific occurrences on which the claim is based; provided, names shall not be disclosed respecting persons who have gained secondary knowledge or formed opinions respecting the matter solely by participating as witnesses, officials, investigators or otherwise on, for, or in connection with such a health care organization committee, staff, governing board or the state board of medicine.
(c) Such limited, conditional discovery and disclosure of information as provided above shall be allowed only in response to inquiries directed to such a health care organization, and then only if initially propounded by a claimant of the type above described. If the matter is initiation, inquiry may be by customary means of discovery under the Idaho rules of civil procedure, or, if pending in a United States court, then under discovery as allowed by its applicable rules; provided, pendency of the claim in the United States court or before any other tribunal shall not operate to broaden the exception to the rules of privilege, confidentiality and immunity set down in this act.
(d) Such disclosures may be voluntarily made without judicial order or formal discovery if all disciplined, accused or investigated physicians or emergency medical services personnel consent thereto, and if privileged or confidential information regarding any other patient, physician, emergency medical services personnel, or person will not be disclosed thereby. When the terms of this paragraph are complied with, such voluntary disclosures may remade without civil liability therefor as if in due response to valid judicial process or order.
(e) If any claimant makes such inquiry of any such health care organization, he shall be deemed to have consented to like inquiry and disclosure rights for the benefit of all parties against whom he asserts such claim or brings such suit or action, and all other persons who are parties to such action, and thereafter all such persons and parties may invoke the provisions of this section, seeking and securing specific information as herein provided for the benefit of such claimant, to the same extent as the same is allowed to such claimant.
(f) If any physician, emergency medical services personnel, patient, person, organization or entity whose conduct, care, chart, behavior, health or standards of ethics or professional practice is the subject of investigation, comment, testimony, dispositive order of any kind or other written or verbal utterance or publication or act of any such health care organization or any member or committee thereof in the course of research, study, disciplinary proceeding or investigation of the sort contemplated by this act, makes claim or brings suit on account of such health care organization activity, then, in the defense thereof, confidentiality and privilege shall be deemed waived by the making of such claim, and such health care organization and the members of their staffs and committees shall balloted to use and resort to such otherwise protected information for the purpose of presenting proof of the facts surrounding such matter, and this provision shall apply whether such claim be for equitable or legal relief or for intentional or unintentional tort of any kind and whether pressed by a patient, physician, emergency medical services personnel, or any other person, but such waiver shall only be effective in connection with the disposition or litigation of such claim, and the court shall, in its discretion, enter appropriate orders protecting, and as fully as it reasonably can do so, preserving the confidentiality of such materials and information.
§39-1392f. Peer Review.
Every hospital subject to this act shall cause the hospital’s medical staff to organize in-hospital medical staff committees which shall have the responsibility of reviewing the professional practices of members of the hospital’s medical staff for the purpose of reducing morbidity and mortality, and for the improvement of the care of patients in the hospital. This review shall include, but not be limited to, the quality and necessity of care provided to patients.
Idaho Rules of Evidence 519. Hospital, in-hospital medical staff committee and medical society privilege.
(1) Hospital. A “hospital” is a facility defined in Idaho Code Section 39-1301(a)(l) and either licensed under Idaho Code Sections 39-1301 through 39-1314 or similarly licensed in another jurisdiction.
(2) In-hospital Medical Staff Committee. An “in-hospital medical committee” is any individual doctor who is a hospital staff member, or any hospital employee, or any group of such doctors or hospital employees, or any combination thereof, who are duly designated a committee by hospital staff by-laws, by action of an organized hospital staff, or by action of the board of directors of a hospital, and which committee is authorized by said by-laws, staff or board of directors, to conduct research or study of hospital patient cases, or of medical questions or problems using data and information from hospital patient cases.
(3) Medical Society. A “medical society” is any duly constituted, authorized and recognized professional society or entity made up of physicians licensed to practice medicine in Idaho, having as its purpose the maintenance of high quality in the standards of health care provided in Idaho or any region or segment of the state, operating with the approval of the Idaho State Board of Medicine, or any official committee appointed by the Idaho State Board of Medicine.
(4) Confidential Communication. A communication is a “confidential communication” under this Rule if it (A) is made in connection with a proceeding for research, discipline, or medical study conducted by an in-hospital medical staff committee or medical society for the purpose of reducing morbidity and mortality, or improving the standards of medical practice or health care in the State of Idaho; (B) is a statement of opinion or conclusion concerning the subject matter of the proceeding; and (C) is not intended for disclosure to third persons, except persons present to further the purposes of or participate in the proceeding, or necessary for the transmission of the communication.
(b) General Rule of Privilege. A hospital, in-hospital medical staff committee, medical society, and maker of a confidential communication has a privilege to refuse to disclose and to prevent any other person from disclosing the confidential communication.
(c) Who may Claim the Privilege. The privilege may be claimed by the maker of the confidential communication, by a representative of the hospital, in-hospital medical staff committee or medical society, or for the holder of the privilege by its lawyer. The authority of the representative or lawyer to do so is presumed in the absence of evidence to the contrary.
(d) Exception. There is no privilege under this rule as to a communication made in connection with the on-going provision of medical care to a patient.
(e) Waiver of Privilege by Testimony. The privilege as to a confidential communication under this rule is waived if the maker of the confidential communication gives evidence of his opinion or conclusion concerning the subject matter of the confidential communication.