This post is a first in a series of posts that will address new laws passed by the 106th General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Bredesen. The posts will run two or three days per week over the next several weeks.
The first post is a change to the Tennessee Peer Review Law of 1967. The bill will be of interest to any one who does medical malpractice or any other area of health care law.
Here is a summary of the legislation:
The Tennessee Peer Review Law of 1967 grants peer review committees certain immunities relating to their actions undertaken to review, discipline, and educate the medical profession. "Peer review committee" means any committee of a state or local professional association or society, including impaired physician peer review committees, programs, malpractice support groups and their staff personnel, or a committee of any licensed health care institution, or the medical staff thereof, or any committee of a medical care foundation or health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization, individual practice association or similar entity, the function of which is to evaluate and improve the quality of health care rendered by providers of health care service.
This bill clarifies that a "peer review committee" also includes a "medical group practice" and their staff personnel, and as such, a medical group practice has the immunity provided under present law.
Here is the full text of Public Acts 2009, Public Chapter No. 46.