GA Code § 31-7-7 (2021)
2021 Georgia Code|Title 31 - Health|Chapter 7 - Regulation and Construction of Hospitals and Other Health Care Facilities|Article 1 - Regulation of Hospitals and Related Institutions|§ 31-7-7. Refusal or Revocation by Public Hospital of Staff Privileges

  Whenever any licensed doctor of medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine, doctor of osteopathic medicine, or doctor of dentistry shall make application for permission to treat patients in any hospital owned or operated by the state, any political subdivision thereof, or any municipality, the hospital shall act in a nondiscriminatory manner upon such application expeditiously and without unnecessary delay considering the applicant on the basis of the applicant's demonstrated training, experience, competence, and availability and reasonable objectives, including, but not limited to, the appropriate utilization of hospital facilities; but in no event shall final action thereon be taken later than 90 days following receipt of the application; provided, however, whenever the applicant is licensed by any governmental entity outside the continental limits of the United States, the hospital shall have 120 days to take action following receipt of the application. This subsection shall apply solely to applications by licensed doctors of medicine, doctors of podiatric medicine, doctors of osteopathic medicine, and doctors of dentistry who are not members of the staff of the hospital in which privileges are sought at the time an application is submitted and by those not privileged, at such time, to practice in such hospital under a previous grant of privileges. The provisions of this subsection shall not be construed so as to repeal the provisions of Code Section 31-7-15, to mandate hospitals to offer or provide any type of service or services not otherwise offered, or to prohibit a hospital with a clinical training program affiliated with a school of medicine from requiring an applicant to have a faculty teaching appointment as a condition of eligibility.   Whenever any hospital owned or operated by the state, any political subdivision thereof, or any municipality shall refuse to grant a licensed doctor of medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine, doctor of osteopathic medicine, or doctor of dentistry the privilege of treating patients in the hospital, wholly or in part, or revoke the privilege of such licensed medical practitioner for treating patients in such hospital, wholly or in part, the hospital shall furnish to the licensed medical practitioner whose privilege has been refused or revoked, within ten days of such action, a written statement of the reasons therefor.   The provisions of this Code section shall not be construed to mandate such hospital to grant or to prohibit such hospital from granting staff privileges to other licensed practitioners of the healing arts who are otherwise qualified for staff privileges pursuant to the bylaws of the governing body of the hospital and, in addition, shall not be construed to modify or restrict the rights of health service provider psychologists to be treated in a nondiscriminatory manner as provided in Code Sections 31-7-161 and 31-7-164.    (Code 1933, § 88-1911, enacted by Ga. L. 1976, p. 326, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 1969, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 967, § 1; Ga. L. 1990, p. 561, § 1.)   RESEARCH REFERENCES   Am. Jur. 2d.   - 40A Am. Jur. 2d, Hospitals and Asylums, § 16.   C.J.S.   - 41 C.J.S., Hospitals, § 29 et seq.   ALR.   - Propriety of hospital's conditioning physician's staff privileges on his carrying professional liability or malpractice insurance, 7 A.L.R.4th 1238.   Exclusion of, or discrimination against, physician or surgeon by hospital, 28 A.L.R.5th 107.   Denial by hospital of staff privileges or referrals to physician or other health care practitioner as violation of Sherman Act (15 USCS § 1 et seq.), 89 A.L.R. Fed. 419.   What constitutes "state action" rendering public official's participation in private antitrust activity immune from application of federal antitrust laws, 109 A.L.R. Fed. 758.