Opinion ID: 1793567
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Public Interest in Quality Health Care Outweighs Private Right to Access

Text: In the case before us, the two physicians request access to the hospital's review organization information even though the hospital has made no adverse determination concerning the physicians' staff privileges or participation status at the hospital. This request requires us to balance the physicians' private right to access this information against the public interest in quality health care. In so doing, we conclude that, in these circumstances, the physicians' right to the review organization information does not outweigh the public interest in quality health care. The provider data exception was not meant to be used as a tool for individual physicians to penetrate the wall of confidentiality that the legislature has so carefully constructed merely because the physicians are curious about what was said about them. We conclude that the legislature did not intend for the provider data exception to grant professionals access to review organization information absent an adverse determination regarding their staff privileges or participation status. Thus, we conclude as to the first sentence of the provider data exception that in the phrase requesting or seeking through discovery, the words requesting and seeking each modify the term through discovery. As to the second sentence, we conclude that in the clause regarding information disclosed in such proceedings, the proceedings referred to are discovery proceedings. Accordingly, we hold that the physicians are not entitled to the review organization information they have requested. Affirmed.