The state of Washington protects information provided to medical peer review committees.  Health care providers or other practitioners who submit data to a peer review committee cannot be held liable for providing this information.  Information provided to a peer review committee is confidential.  However, this information may be exchanged among peer review committees, quality assurance committees, and quality improvement programs, but must comply with HIPAA privacy and confidentiality regulations.1  Terminations or suspensions of practitioners’ privileges must be recorded and reported by hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.2

        There are certain other instances in which a provider’s performance information cannot be publicly disclosed.  This includes records from a physician impairment program, complaints regarding health professional discipline, and performance data submitted to disease specific registries.3