To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue regulations to ensure due process rights for physicians before any termination, restriction, or reduction of the professional activity of such physicians or staff privileges of such physicians.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · May 8, 2024
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
The Physician and Patient Safety Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create new federal regulations protecting physicians' rights when hospitals consider terminating or restricting their medical staff privileges. Under the bill, physicians would be guaranteed fair hearings and the ability to appeal through hospital medical staff processes before losing privileges, and they cannot be forced to waive these rights as a condition of employment. The regulations would also limit reporting of hearing outcomes to the National Practitioner Data Bank except in cases involving ongoing patient safety threats or when otherwise legally required. The bill applies to all physicians with medical staff privileges at hospitals and aims to prevent third-party contractors from bypassing these due process protections. The Secretary must issue final regulations within 18 months of the bill's enactment, with no specific funding amount specified in the legislation.
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