Healing arts: peer review.

Existing law provides for the professional review of specified healing arts licentiates through a peer review process conducted by peer review bodies, as defined. This bill would require a peer review body to respond to the request of another peer review body and produce relevant peer review information about a licentiate that was subject to peer review by the responding peer review body for a medical disciplinary cause or reason. The bill would require the responding peer review body to determine the manner by which to produce the information, as specified. The bill would provide that the information produced pursuant to this provision is not subject to discovery, as specified, and may be used only for peer review purposes. The bill would require that all relevant information produced be made available to the licentiate by the requesting peer review body. The bill would require the requesting peer review body, upon request, to sign a specified sharing agreement with the responding peer review body, and to indemnify the responding peer review body for certain claims relating to the improper release or disclosure of information. The bill would require the licentiate under review to, upon request, release the responding peer review body from liability for the disclosure of information. The bill would specify that the responding peer review body is not obligated to produce information unless certain conditions are met.