HB 2556 Summary

• Expands definition of "health care entity" to include entities that contract to provide or pay for health care services, and committees or organizational structures of health care entities.

• Allows state health care providers, hospitals, and outpatient surgical centers to conduct quality assurance activities, with other health care entities permitted to do so voluntarily.

• Permits sharing of quality assurance information between health care entities for quality assurance purposes with approval from a hospital's medical executive committee, without waiving confidentiality protections.

• Provides immunity from civil liability for persons participating in quality assurance activities without malice, and limits testimony about quality assurance activities to whether activities occurred and their dates.

• Repeals section 36-2404 and changes the article heading from "Quality Assurance Process" to "Quality Assurance Activities," reflecting a shift from a single mandated process to broader quality assurance activities.