SC S0985

Adds Article 9 to Chapter 61, Title 44 of South Carolina Code establishing confidentiality protections for continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs implemented by prehospital clinicians including EMTs, paramedics, and firefighters providing prehospital care

Makes all CQI activities, records, reports, data, and proceedings privileged, confidential, exempt from public disclosure under FOIA, and inadmissible as evidence in civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings

Protections cover peer review processes, incident debriefings, morbidity and mortality reviews, data collection and analysis, case studies, training sessions, clinical performance evaluations, and hiring/onboarding documentation

Exempts from protection any information available from original non-CQI sources and voluntary disclosures by providers or participants unless otherwise prohibited by law

Grants civil and criminal immunity to CQI participants acting in good faith within their duties, except for willful misconduct or gross negligence, with unauthorized disclosure subject to penalties under Section 44-61-160