(1) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Patient safety data” means reports made to patient safety organizations, including all health care data, interviews, memoranda, analyses, root cause analyses, products of quality assurance or quality improvement processes, corrective action plans, or information collected or created by a health care facility licensed under chapter 395, or a health care practitioner as defined in s. 456.001(4), as a result of an occurrence related to the provision of health care services which exacerbates an existing medical condition or could result in injury, illness, or death.

(b) “Patient safety organization” means any organization, group, or other entity that collects and analyzes patient safety data for the purpose of improving patient safety and health care outcomes and that is independent and not under the control of the entity that reports patient safety data.

(2) Patient safety data shall not be subject to discovery or introduction into evidence in any civil or administrative action. However, information, documents, or records otherwise available from original sources are not immune from discovery or use in any civil or administrative action merely because they were also collected, analyzed, or presented to a patient safety organization. Any person who testifies before a patient safety organization or who is a member of such a group may not be prevented from testifying as to matters within his or her knowledge, but he or she may not be asked about his or her testimony before a patient safety organization or the opinions formed by him or her as a result of the hearings.

(3) Unless otherwise provided by law, a patient safety organization shall promptly remove all patient-identifying information after receipt of a complete patient safety data report unless such organization is otherwise permitted by state or federal law to maintain such information. Patient safety organizations shall maintain the confidentiality of all patient-identifying information and may not disseminate such information, except as permitted by state or federal law.

(4) The exchange of patient safety data among health care facilities licensed under chapter 395, or health care practitioners as defined in s. 456.001(4), or patient safety organizations which does not identify any patient shall not constitute a waiver of any privilege established in this section.

(5) Reports of patient safety data to patient safety organizations do not abrogate obligations to make reports to the Department of Health, the Agency for Health Care Administration, or other state or federal regulatory agencies.

(6) An employer may not take retaliatory action against an employee who in good faith makes a report of patient safety data to a patient safety organization.

History.—s. 10, ch. 2003-416.