Medical peer review boards - R.I. Gen. Laws Ann. § 5-37.3-7

Health care providers may disclose confidential health care information to medical peer review boards without obtaining authorization. Information maintained by medical peer review boards is confidential, not subject to discovery, and inadmissible as evidence in a legal proceeding. Persons may not testify about medical peer review board proceedings. However, confidential health care information maintained by a medical peer review board or discussed during a review board proceeding may be discovered or admitted into evidence if available from another source. Persons party to a peer review proceeding may testify about matters discussed in the proceeding if they have knowledge of the matters apart from the proceeding and limit their testimony to this separate knowledge.

The limitations on the use of peer review information in legal proceedings do not apply to legal actions by peer review boards to restrict or revoke a physician’s hospital privileges or license or in legal proceedings peer review boards that arise due to their actions as a board.

Members of a peer review board, the entity that forms the board, and persons that provide information to the board are immune from liability that may arise from performing their duties. This immunity does not apply to actions that occur with malice.