Maine Peer Review Statute

The information on this page was last updated by Horty, Springer & Mattern on April 22, 2021.

MAINE

PEER REVIEW

Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 32 §2596. Review committee member immunity

A physician licensed under this chapter [Board of Osteopathic Licensure] who is a member of a utilization review committee or a peer review committee that is a requirement of accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association or is established and operated under the auspices of the physician’s respective state or county professional society or the Board of Osteopathic Licensure is immune from civil liability for undertaking or failing to undertake an act within the scope of the function of the committee.

§2599. Records of proceedings of hospital medical staff review committees confidential [from Chapter on Osteopathic Physicians]

All proceedings and records of proceedings concerning medical staff reviews and hospital reviews conducted by committees of physicians and other health care personnel on behalf of hospitals located within the State, when these reviews are required by state or federal law or regulations or as a condition of accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals or the American Osteopathic Association Committee on Hospital Accreditation are confidential and are exempt from discovery without a showing of good cause.

Provision of information protected by this section to the board pursuant to Title 24, section 2506 does not waive or otherwise affect the confidentiality of the records or the exemption from discovery provided by this section for any other purpose.

§3293.  Review committee member immunity

A physician licensed under this chapter [Board of Licensure in Medicine] who is a member of a utilization review committee, medical review committee, surgical review committee, peer review committee or disciplinary committee that is a requirement of accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals or is established and operated under the auspices of the physician’s respective state or county professional society or the Board of Licensure in Medicine is immune from civil liability for undertaking or failing to undertake an act within the scope of the function of the committee.

§3296. Records of proceedings of medical staff review committees confidential [from Chapter on Board of Licensure in Medicine]

All proceedings and records of proceedings concerning medical staff reviews, hospital reviews and other reviews of medical care conducted by committees of physicians and other health care personnel on behalf of hospitals located within the State or on behalf of individual physicians, when the reviews are required by state or federal law, rule or as a condition of accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals or the American Osteopathic Association Committee on Hospital Accreditation or are conducted under the auspices of the state or county professional society to which the physician belongs, are confidential and are exempt from discovery.

Provision of information protected by this section to the board pursuant to Title 24, section 2506 does not waive or otherwise affect the confidentiality of the records or the exemption from discovery provided by this section for any other purpose.

tit. 24-A §4224. Confidentiality; liability; access to records [Health Maintenance Organization]

1. Confidentiality. Any data or information pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment or health of an enrollee or applicant obtained from that enrollee or applicant or a provider by a health maintenance organization must be held in confidence and may not be disclosed to any person except: to the extent that it may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter; upon the express consent of the enrollee or applicant; pursuant to statute or court order for the production of evidence or the discovery of evidence; or in the event of claim or litigation between that enrollee or applicant and the health maintenance organization when such data or information is pertinent. A health maintenance organization is entitled to claim any statutory privileges against such disclosure that the provider who furnished such information to the health maintenance organization is entitled to claim.

2. Liability. A person who, in good faith and without malice, as a member, agent or employee of a quality assurance committee, assists in the origination, investigation or preparation of a report or information related to treatment previously rendered, submits that report or information to a health maintenance organization or appropriate state licensing board, or assists the committee in carrying out any of its duties under this chapter is not subject to civil liability for damages as a consequence of those actions, nor is the health maintenance organization that established that committee or the officers, directors, employees or agents of that health maintenance organization liable for the activities of that person. This section may not be construed to relieve any person of liability arising from treatment of a patient.

A. The information considered by a quality assurance committee and the records of its actions and proceedings are confidential and not subject to subpoena or order to produce except in proceedings before the appropriate state licensing or certifying agency or in an appeal, if permitted, from the findings or recommendations of the committee. A member of a quality assurance committee or an officer, director, staff person or other member of a health maintenance organization engaged in assisting the committee or any person assisting or furnishing information to the committee may not be subpoenaed to testify in any judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding if the subpoena is based solely on these activities.

B. Information considered by a quality assurance committee and the records and proceedings of that committee used pursuant to paragraph A by a state licensing or certifying agency or in an appeal must be kept confidential and are subject to the same provisions concerning discovery and use in legal actions as are the original information and records in the possession and control of the health care review committee.

3. Access to records. To fulfill the obligations of a health maintenance organization under section 4202, subsection 2-A, paragraph B, a health maintenance organization must have access to treatment records and other information pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment and health status of any enrollee.

§ 2502. Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following words shall have the following meanings.
1. Board. “Board” means the Board of Licensure in Medicine, the Board of Dental Practice or the Board of Osteopathic Licensure.
1-A. Health care practitioner. “Health care practitioner” means physicians and all others certified, registered or licensed in the healing arts, including, but not limited to, nurses, podiatrists, optometrists, chiropractors, physical therapists, dentists, psychologists, physicians’ assistants and veterinarians.
1-B. Carrier. “Carrier” has the same meaning as in Title 24-A, chapter 56-A.
1-C. Adverse professional competence review action. “Adverse professional competence review action” means an action based upon professional competence review activity to reduce, restrict, suspend, deny, revoke or fail to grant or renew a physician’s or veterinarian’s:
A. Membership, clinical privileges, clinical practice authority or professional certification in a hospital, other health care entity or veterinary hospital; or
B. Participation on a health care entity’s provider panel.
1-D. Health care entity. “Health care entity” means:
A. An entity that provides or arranges for health care services and that follows a written professional competence review process;
B. An entity that furnishes the services of physicians to another health care entity or to individuals and that follows a written professional competence review process; or
C. A professional society or professional certifying organization when conducting professional competence review activity.
2. Health care provider. “Health care provider” means any hospital, clinic, nursing home or other facility in which skilled nursing care or medical services are prescribed by or performed under the general direction of persons licensed to practice medicine, dentistry, podiatry or surgery in this State and that is licensed or otherwise authorized by the laws of this State. “Health care provider” includes a veterinary hospital.
2-A. Managed care plan. “Managed care plan” has the same meaning as in Title 24-A, chapter 56-A.
3. Physician. “Physician” means any natural person authorized by law to practice medicine, osteopathic medicine or veterinary medicine within this State.
4. Professional competence committee. “Professional competence committee” means any of the following when engaging in professional competence review activity:
A. A health care entity;
B. An individual or group, such as a medical staff officer, department or committee, to which a health care entity delegates responsibility for professional competence review activity;
C. Entities and persons, including contractors, consultants, attorneys and staff, who assist in performing professional competence review activities; or
D. Joint committees of 2 or more health care entities.
4-A. Professional review committee. “Professional review committee” means a committee of health care practitioners formed by a professional society for the purpose of identifying and working with health professionals who are disabled or impaired by virtue of physical or mental infirmity or by the misuse of alcohol or drugs, as long as the committee operates pursuant to protocols approved by the various licensing boards that license the health professionals the committee serves.
4-B. Professional competence review activity. “Professional competence review activity” means study, evaluation, investigation, recommendation or action, by or on behalf of a health care entity and carried out by a professional competence committee, necessary to:
A. Maintain or improve the quality of care rendered in, through or by the health care entity or by physicians;
B. Reduce morbidity and mortality; or
C. Establish and enforce appropriate standards of professional qualification, competence, conduct or performance.
5. Professional society. “Professional society” means a state professional organization of physicians, surgeons or osteopathic physicians.
6. Action for professional negligence. “Action for professional negligence” means any action for damages for injury or death against any health care provider, its agents or employees, or health care practitioner or the health care practitioner’s agents or employees, whether based upon tort or breach of contract or otherwise, arising out of the provision or failure to provide health care services.
7. Professional negligence. “Professional negligence” means that:
A. There is a reasonable medical or professional probability that the acts or omissions complained of constitute a deviation from the applicable standard of care by the health care practitioner or health care provider charged with that care; and
B. There is a reasonable medical or professional probability that the acts or omissions complained of proximately caused the injury complained of.
8. Professional competence review records. “Professional competence review records” means the minutes, files, notes, records, reports, statements, memoranda, data bases, proceedings, findings and work product prepared at the request of or generated by a professional competence review committee relating to professional competence review activity. Records received or considered by a professional competence committee during professional competence review activity are not “professional competence review records” if the records are individual medical or clinical records or any other record that was created for purposes other than professional competence review activity and is available from a source other than a professional competence committee.
9. Written professional competence review process. “Written professional competence review process” means a process that is reduced to writing and includes:
A. Written criteria adopted by the health care entity that are designed to form the primary basis for granting membership, privileges or participation in or through the health care entity. The health care entity shall furnish or make available for inspection and photocopying to a requesting physician the written criteria used by the entity; and
B. A mechanism through which an individual physician can:
(1) Be informed in writing of the basis of any adverse professional competence review action;
(2) Participate in a meeting or hearing with representatives of the health care entity at which time the facts upon which an adverse action is based and the basis for the adverse action can be discussed and reconsidered; and
(3) Receive a written explanation of any final adverse professional competence review action.

 

§2510-A. Confidentiality of professional competence review records

Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, all professional competence review records are privileged and confidential and are not subject to discovery, subpoena or other means of legal compulsion for their release to any person or entity and are not admissible as evidence in any civil, judicial or administrative proceeding. Information contained in professional competence review records is not admissible at trial or deposition in the form of testimony by an individual who participated in the written professional competence review process. Nothing in this section may be read to abrogate the obligations to report and provide information under section 2506, nor the application of Title 32, sections 2599 and 3296.

1. Protection; waiver. This chapter’s protection may be invoked by a professional competence committee or by the subject of professional competence review activity in any civil, judicial or administrative proceeding. This section’s protection may be waived only by a written waiver executed by an authorized representative of the professional competence committee.

2. Adverse professional competence review action. Subsection 1 does not apply in a proceeding in which a physician contests an adverse professional competence review action against that physician, but the discovery, use and introduction of professional competence review records in such a proceeding does not constitute a waiver of subsection 1 in any other or subsequent proceedings seeking damages for alleged professional negligence against the physician who is the subject of such professional competence review records.

3. Defense of professional competence committee. Subsection 1 does not apply in a proceeding in which a professional competence committee uses professional competence review records in its own defense, but the discovery, use and introduction of professional competence review records in such a proceeding does not constitute a waiver of subsection 1 in the same or other proceeding seeking damages for alleged professional negligence against the physician who is the subject of such professional competence review records.

4. Waiver regarding individual. Waiver of subsection 1 in a proceeding regarding one physician does not constitute a waiver of subsection 1 as to other physicians.

§2510-B. Release of professional competence review records

Nothing in this section may be read to abrogate the obligations to report and provide information under section 2506.

1. Release to other review bodies, agencies, accrediting bodies. A professional competence committee may furnish professional competence review records or information to other professional review bodies, state or federal government agencies and national accrediting bodies without waiving any privilege against disclosure under section 2510-A.

2. Release to physician. A professional competence committee may furnish professional competence review records to the physician who is the subject of the professional competence review activity and the physician’s attorneys, agents and representatives without waiving any privilege against disclosure under section 2510-A.

3. Release of directory information. A professional competence committee may furnish directory information showing membership, clinical privileges, provider panel or other practice status of a physician with the health care entity to anyone without waiving the privilege against disclosure under section 2510-A.

§2511 Immunity.

Any person acting without malice, physician, health care provider, health care entity or professional society, any member of a professional competence committee, professional review committee, any board or appropriate authority and any entity required to report under this chapter is immune from civil liability:

1. Reporting. For making any report or other information available to any board, appropriate authority, professional competence committee or professional review committee pursuant to law;

2. Assisting in preparation. For assisting in the origination, investigation or preparation of the report or information described in subsection 1; or

3. Assisting in duties. For assisting the board, authority or committee in carrying out any of its duties or functions provided by law.