Peer review: Definitions; immunity; discovery permissible re proceedings - Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-17b

Persons that provide hospitals, professional societies, medical and dental schools, licensing boards, or medical review committees with information regarding the qualification or fitness of a health care provider are immune from resulting liability.

Persons that serve on a medical review committee are immune from liability that may arise from the review committee’s actions so long as the action occurred “without malice and in reasonable belief” that the action was justified.

Medical review committee proceedings regarding peer review are immune from discovery and inadmissible in a civil action against the health care provider that is subject to the review. Persons that attend a peer review proceeding may not testify in a civil action. However, the following items are admissible in civil actions: (1) writings made independent of the peer review proceeding; (2) testimony of persons regarding information they obtained independent of the peer review proceeding; and (3) evidence of the termination or restriction of staff privileges. Non-peer review proceedings regarding staff privilege termination or restriction may use data developed during a peer review proceeding.