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A3870Assembly2019-2020 Session

Require Peer Review Cooperation

Official title

“Relates to full and good faith participation in peer review activities”

Sponsor Felix OrtizAD-51+2 co-sponsorsAffects Health
Status
In Assembly Committee
Health
Impact
5/10
Moderate
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Health

What's happening

This bill requires healthcare professionals to fully and in good faith participate in peer review activities, making non-cooperation grounds for disciplinary action and loss of privileges.

Why it matters

  1. Strengthens accountability. The bill explicitly makes failure to cooperate in peer review and quality assurance processes a professional misconduct issue, potentially leading to disciplinary action or loss of license for healthcare providers. This raises the stakes for participation, aiming to ensure that peer review is meaningful and not undermined by non-cooperation.

  2. Ties employment and privileges to compliance. Healthcare professionals must now formally agree to fully and in good faith participate in peer review as a condition for employment or hospital privileges. Non-cooperation is grounds for immediate loss of privileges or termination, giving hospitals a clear mandate to enforce participation.

  3. Potential impact on patient safety and workplace culture. By mandating active participation in peer review, the bill aims to improve the quality of care and patient safety through more robust oversight and feedback among professionals. However, it could also increase tension or fear among providers if peer review is perceived as punitive rather than collaborative.

  4. Legal and procedural clarity. The changes provide explicit legal backing for hospitals and regulatory bodies to require and enforce participation in peer review, potentially reducing ambiguity and legal disputes over what constitutes adequate cooperation.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Require Peer Review Cooperation

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Felix Ortiz

Assembly Member · Assembly District 51

History

  1. Referred to health
  2. Referred to health

Full text

2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

3870

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

January 31, 2019

Introduced by M. of A. ORTIZ, GALEF, PERRY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health

AN ACT to amend the public health law and the education law, in relation to full and good faith participation in peer review activities

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 2805-m of the public health law, as amended by chapter 808 of the laws of 1987, are amended to read as follows:

1. The information required to be collected and maintained pursuant to [sections twenty-eight hundred five-j and] section twenty-eight hundred five-k of this article, reports required to be submitted pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred five-l of this article and any incident reporting requirements imposed upon diagnostic and treatment centers pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be kept confidential and shall not be released except to the department or pursuant to subdivision four of section twenty-eight hundred five-k of this article.

2. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, none of the records, documentation or committee actions or records required pursuant to [sections twenty-eight hundred five-j and] section twenty-eight hundred five-k of this article, the reports required pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred five-l of this article nor any incident reporting requirements imposed upon diagnostic and treatment centers pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to disclosure under article six of the public officers law or article thirty-one of the civil practice law and rules, except as hereinafter provided or as provided by any other provision of law. No person in attendance at a meeting of any such committee shall be required to testify as to what transpired thereat. The prohibition relating to discovery of testimony shall not apply to the statements made by any person in attendance at

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD08197-01-9

A. 3870 2

such a meeting who is a party to an action or proceeding the subject matter of which was reviewed at such meeting.

§ 2. Section 6530 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 50 to read as follows:

50. Failure to fully cooperate and participate, reasonably and in good faith, in the quality assurance and peer review programs activities, requirements and procedures covered by section twenty-eight hundred five-j of the public health law.

§ 3. Subdivision 1 of section 2805-k of the public health law, as amended by chapter 485 of the laws of 1986, paragraph (f) as amended by chapter 477 of the laws of 2008 and paragraph (g) as relettered by chapter 786 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:

1. Prior to granting or renewing professional privileges or association of any physician, dentist or podiatrist or hiring a physician, dentist or podiatrist, a hospital or facility approved pursuant to this article shall request from the physician, dentist or podiatrist and the physician, dentist or podiatrist shall be required to provide the following information:

(a) The name of any hospital or facility with or at which the physician, dentist or podiatrist had or has any association, employment, privileges or practice;

(b) Where such association, employment, privilege or practice was discontinued, the reasons for its discontinuation;

(c) Any pending professional medical, dental or podiatric misconduct proceedings or any pending medical malpractice actions in this state or another state, the substance of the allegations in such proceedings or actions, and any additional information concerning such proceedings or actions as the physician, dentist or podiatrist may deem appropriate;

(d) The substance of the findings in such actions or proceedings and any additional information concerning such actions or proceedings as the physician, dentist or podiatrist may deem appropriate;

(e) A waiver by the physician, dentist or podiatrist of any confidentiality provisions concerning the information required to be provided to hospitals pursuant to this subdivision; [and]

(f) Documentation that the physician, dentist or podiatrist has completed the course work or training as mandated by section two hundred thirty-nine of this chapter or section six thousand five hundred five-b of the education law. A hospital or facility shall not grant or renew professional privileges or association to a physician, dentist, or podiatrist who has not completed such course work or training[.];

(g) Documentation that the physician, dentist or podiatrist agrees to full, good faith cooperation and participation in any peer review process, and termination of all privileges, including employment, if such physician, dentist or podiatrist fails to fully cooperate and participate; and

(h) A verification by the physician, dentist or podiatrist that the information provided by the physician, dentist or podiatrist is true and accurate.

§ 4. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.