A. 1. The State Department of Health may enter into agreements with community health care providers in which the provider stipulates to the State Department of Health that when the provider renders professional services, such services will be provided without compensation to the community health care provider, although the facility may assess a sliding-scale co-pay fee.

2. The State Department of Health shall adopt rules which specify the conditions for termination of any such agreement, and the rules shall be made a part of the agreement.

3. A community health care provider, for purposes of any claim for damages arising as a result of rendering professional services to a person, which professional services were rendered without compensation or expectation of payment to the community health care provider, at a time when an agreement entered into by the community health care provider with the State Department of Health, pursuant to this section, was in effect, shall be considered an employee of the state under The Governmental Tort Claims Act.

B. The State Board of Health may promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section; provided that, health center sliding-fee scales shall be in accordance with federal law.

C. Any claim arising from the rendering of or failure to render professional services by a community health care provider brought pursuant to The Governmental Tort Claims Act shall not be considered by an insurance company in determining the rate charged for any professional liability insurance policy for health care providers nor whether to cancel any such policy.

Added by Laws 2009, c. 315, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2009.