The information on this page was last updated by Horty, Springer & Mattern on January 26, 2024.
NEW JERSEY
PEER REVIEW
N.J. Stat. Ann. §2A:84A-22.8. Utilization review committees of certified hospital or extended care facility; exceptions
Information and data secured by and in the possession of utilization review committees established by any certified hospital or extended care facility in the performance of their duties shall not be revealed or disclosed in any manner or under any circumstances by any member of such committee except to: (a) a patient’s attending physician, (b) the chief administrative officer of the hospital or extended care facility which it serves, (c) the medical executive committee, or comparable enforcement unit, of such hospital or extended care facility, (d) representatives of, including intermediaries or carriers for, government agencies in the performance of their duties, under the provisions of Federal and State law, or (e) any hospital service corporation, medical service corporation or insurance company with which said patient has pertinent coverage under a contract, policy or certificate, the terms of which authorize the carrier to request and be given such information and data.
§2A:84A-22.9. Liability of member of utilization review committee for disclosure of information
No member of a utilization review committee may be held liable for damages or otherwise prejudiced in any manner by reason of recommendations or findings made by said committee or for furnishing information or data obtained in the course of his duties as a member of a committee to the persons and officials mentioned in section 1 hereof.
§2A:84A-22.10. Hospital or long-term health care facility committees; professional review committees; liability of members
Any person who serves as a member of, is staff to, under a contract or other formal agreement with, participates with, or assists with respect to an action of:
a. A hospital or long-term health care facility committee established to administer a utilization review plan for such hospital or long-term health care facility; or
b. A hospital medical staff committee having the responsibility of evaluation and improvement of the quality of care rendered in such hospital; or
c. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1985, c.506.)
d. A hospital peer-review committee having the responsibility for the review of the qualifications and credentials of physicians or dentists seeking appointment or reappointment to the medical or dental staff of a hospital, or of questions of the clinical or administrative competence of physicians or dentists so appointed, or of matters concerning limiting the scope of hospital privileges of physicians or dentists on the staff, or of matters concerning the dismissal or discharge of same; or
e. A peer-review, ethics, grievance, judicial, quality assurance or professional relations committee or subcommittee thereof of a local, county or State medical, dental, podiatric, optometric, psychological, veterinary, chiropractic or pharmaceutical society or long-term health care facility association, of any such society or association itself, or of a health maintenance organization, when such society, association or organization or committee or subcommittee thereof is performing any peer-review, ethics, grievance, judicial, quality assurance or professional relations review function that
(1) Is described in subsections a., b., and d., above of this section;
(2) Involves any controversy or dispute between (a) a physician, dentist, podiatrist, optometrist, psychologist, veterinarian, chiropractor, pharmacist, nurse, dietitian, or licensed administrator and a patient or, in the case of a veterinarian, the patient’s owner, concerning the diagnosis, treatment or care of such patient or the fees or charges therefor, (b) a physician, dentist, podiatrist, optometrist, psychologist, veterinarian, chiropractor, pharmacist, nurse, dietitian or licensed administrator and a provider of medical, dental, podiatric, veterinary, optometric, psychological, or pharmaceutical benefits concerning any medical or health charges or fees of such physician, dentist, podiatrist, optometrist, psychologist, veterinarian, chiropractor, pharmacist, nurse, dietitian or licensed administrator, or (c) physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, psychologists, veterinarians, chiropractors, pharmacists, nurses, dietitians or licensed administrators:
shall not be liable in damages to any person for any action taken or recommendation made by him within the scope of his function with the committee, subcommittee or society in the performance of said peer-review, ethics, grievance, judicial, quality assurance or professional relations review functions, if such action or recommendation was taken or made without malice and in the reasonable belief after reasonable investigation that such action or recommendation was warranted upon the basis of facts disclosed.
§26:2H-12.25. Definitions
a. As used in this act [“Patient Safety Act”]:
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f. Any documents, materials, or information received by the department, or the Department of Human Services, as applicable, pursuant to the provisions of subsections c. and e. of this section concerning serious preventable adverse events, near-misses, preventable events, and adverse events that are otherwise not subject to mandatory reporting pursuant to subsection c. of this section, shall not be:
(1) subject to discovery or admissible as evidence or otherwise disclosed in any civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding;
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g. Any documents, materials, or information developed by a health care facility as part of a process of self-critical analysis conducted pursuant to subsection b. of this section concerning preventable events, near-misses, and adverse events, including serious preventable adverse events, and any document or oral statement that constitutes the disclosure provided to a patient or the patient’s family member or guardian pursuant to subsection d. of this section, shall not be:
(1) subject to discovery or admissible as evidence or otherwise disclosed in any civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding; or
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Regulation: N.J. Admin. Code tit. §8:43G-16.1 Medical staff structural organization
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(g) There shall be an executive committee for the medical staff which performs supervisory functions, including reviewing patient care policies and procedures and serving as a forum for discussing patient care issues identified by the clinical departments.
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(i) The hospital and medical staff shall have a formal program addressing impaired practitioners. This program shall include the following components:
i. Policies and a mechanism which encourage the voluntary or informal identification or reporting of practitioner impairment to the hospital;
ii. A mechanism for monitoring physician performance and for the limitation of clinical privileges if appropriate; and
iii. A procedure for the referral of impaired practitioners to appropriate treatment.
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