TITLE 23

Health and Safety

CHAPTER 23-4.1

Emergency Medical Transportation Services

SECTION 23-4.1-18



   § 23-4.1-18  Peer review boards –

Definition, activities and immunities. –

(a) For the purposes of this chapter, "peer review board" means any committee

of a state or local professional association or society, or any committee

authorized by the director of the department of health, or a committee of any

licensed emergency medical service employing practicing licensed emergency

medical personnel, organized for the purpose of furnishing emergency medical

services, the function of which, or one of the functions of which, is to

evaluate and improve the quality of health care rendered by providers of health

care service or to determine that health care services rendered were

professionally indicated or were performed in compliance with the applicable

standard of care or that the cost of health care rendered was considered

reasonable by the providers of professional health care services in the area.



   (b) The proceedings and associated records of peer review

boards shall not be subject to discovery or be admissible in evidence in any

case except litigation arising out of the imposition of sanctions upon an

emergency medical technician. However, any imposition or notice of a

restriction of privileges, or a requirement of supervision imposed on an

emergency medical technician for failure to comply with the provisions or

standards of this chapter, and any regulations promulgated pursuant to §

23-4.1-10, shall be subject to discovery and be admissible in any proceeding

against the emergency medical technician for performing, or against any

licensed emergency medical service which allows the emergency medical

technician to perform, the procedures which are the subject of the restriction

or supervision during the period of the restriction or supervision, or

subsequent to that period. Nothing contained in this section shall apply to

records made in the regular course of business by an emergency medical service

or other provider of health care information. Documents or records otherwise

available from original sources are not to be construed as immune from

discovery or use in any civil proceedings merely because they were presented

during the proceedings of the committee.



   (c) There shall be no monetary liability on the part of, and

no cause of action for damages shall arise, against any member of a duly

appointed peer review board operated pursuant to written bylaws, for any act or

proceeding undertaken or performed within the scope of the functions of any

peer review board.



   (d) There shall be no monetary liability on the part of, and

no cause of action for damages shall arise against, any person on account of

the communication of information to any peer review board or the department of

health or the ambulance service advisory board, when the communication is

intended to aid in the evaluation of the qualifications, fitness, or character

of an emergency medical technician, and does not represent as true any matter

not reasonably believed to be true.



   (e) Any peer review processes authorized by statute and

carried out in good faith shall have the benefit of the state action exemption

to the state antitrust law.



History of Section.

(P.L. 2005, ch. 242, § 1; P.L. 2005, ch. 245, § 1.)