HB 7 Summary

• Grants qualified civil immunity to health care providers and emergency medical technicians providing emergency services during a declared disaster, except for actions constituting reckless disregard.

• Makes inadmissible as evidence in medical claims any apologies, expressions of sympathy or condolence, and communications made during good-faith reviews of unanticipated medical outcomes within 45 days of occurrence.

• Prohibits federal health care standards (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid) and insurer reimbursement policies from being used to establish standards of care or admitted as evidence in medical claim actions.

• Provides civil immunity to physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, and hospitals for discharge decisions regarding patients with mental health conditions threatening safety, made in good faith exercise of professional judgment.

• Establishes procedure allowing plaintiffs to discover and join additional medical claims and defendants within 180 days of filing the original complaint, plus the remaining days until the one-year statute of limitations expires on the original claim.