(a) Prior to granting or renewing staff privileges for any physician and surgeon, psychologist, podiatrist, dentist, or nurse practitioner, any health facility licensed pursuant to Division 2 (commencing with Section 1200) of the Health and Safety Code, any health care service plan or medical care foundation, the medical staff of the institution, a facility certified to participate in the federal Medicare Program as an ambulatory surgical center, or an outpatient setting accredited pursuant to Section 1248.1 of the Health and Safety Code shall request a report from the Medical Board of California, the Board of Psychology, the California Board of Podiatric Medicine, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, the Dental Board of California, or the Board of Registered Nursing to determine if any report has been made pursuant to Section 805 indicating that the applying physician and surgeon, psychologist, podiatrist, dentist, or nurse practitioner, has been denied staff privileges, been removed from a medical staff, or had their staff privileges restricted as provided in Section 805. The request shall include the name and California license number of the physician and surgeon, psychologist, podiatrist, dentist, or nurse practitioner. Furnishing of a copy of the 805 report shall not cause the 805 report to be a public record.
(b) Upon a request made by, or on behalf of, an institution described in subdivision (a) or its medical staff, the board shall furnish a copy of any report made pursuant to Section 805 as well as any additional exculpatory or explanatory information submitted electronically to the board by the licensee pursuant to subdivision (f) of that section. However, the board shall not send a copy of a report (1) if the denial, removal, or restriction was imposed solely because of the failure to complete medical records, (2) if the board has found the information reported is without merit, (3) if a court finds, in a final judgment, that the peer review, as defined in Section 805, resulting in the report was conducted in bad faith and the licensee who is the subject of the report notifies the board of that finding, or (4) if a period of three years has elapsed since the report was submitted. This three-year period shall be tolled during any period the licentiate has obtained a judicial order precluding disclosure of the report, unless the board is finally and permanently precluded by judicial order from disclosing the report. If a request is received by the board while the board is subject to a judicial order limiting or precluding disclosure, the board shall provide a disclosure to any qualified requesting party as soon as practicable after the judicial order is no longer in force.
If the board fails to advise the institution within 30 working days following its request for a report required by this section, the institution may grant or renew staff privileges for the physician and surgeon, psychologist, podiatrist, dentist, or nurse practitioner.
(c) Any institution described in subdivision (a) or its medical staff that violates subdivision (a) is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) nor more than one thousand two hundred dollars ($1,200).
(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 265, Sec. 3. (AB 890) Effective January 1, 2021.)