Review Organization Immunity

NMSA 1978 ch. 41, art. 9

in effect

NMSA 1978, § 41-9-1 Short title

41-9-1. Short title This act [41-9-1 to 41-9-7 NMSA 1978] may be cited as the "Review Organization Immunity Act". Laws 1979, ch. 169, § 1.

NMSA 1978, § 41-9-2 Definitions

41-9-2. Definitions As used in the Review Organization Immunity Act: A. "person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, firm or other entity; B. "health care provider" means any person licensed by the state or permitted by law to provide health care services; C. "health care services" means services rendered by a health care provider of the type the health care provider is licensed or permitted to provide; D. "staff" means the members of the governing board, officers and employees of a health care provider which is not an individual; and E. "review organization" means an organization whose membership is limited to health care providers and staff, except where otherwise provided for by state or federal law, and which is established by a health care provider which is a hospital, by one or more state or local associations of health care providers, by a nonprofit health care plan, by a health maintenance organization, by an emergency medical services system or provider as defined in the Emergency Medical Services Act [24-10B-1 to 24-10B-11 NMSA 1978], or by a professional standards review organization established pursuant to 42 U.S.C., Section 1320c-1 et seq. to gather and review information relating to the care and treatment of patients for the purposes of: (1) evaluating and improving the quality of health care services rendered in the area or by a health care provider; (2) reducing morbidity or mortality; (3) obtaining and disseminating statistics and information relative to the treatment and prevention of diseases, illnesses and injuries; (4) developing and publishing guidelines showing the norms of health care services in the area or by health care providers; (5) developing and publishing guidelines designed to keep within reasonable bounds the cost of health care services; (6) reviewing the nature, quality or cost of health care services provided to enrollees of health maintenance organizations and nonprofit health care plans; (7) acting as a professional standards review organization pursuant to 42 U.S.C., Section 1320c-1, et seq.; or (8) determining whether a health care provider shall be granted authority to provide health care services using the health care provider's facilities or whether a health care provider's privileges should be limited, suspended or revoked. Laws 1979, ch. 169, § 2; 1993, ch. 161, § 12.

NMSA 1978, § 41-9-3 Limitation on liability for persons providing information to review organization

41-9-3. Limitation on liability for persons providing information to review organization No person providing information to a review organization shall be subject to any action for damages or other relief by reason of having furnished such information, unless such information is false and the person providing such information knew or had reason to believe such information was false. Laws 1979, ch. 169, § 3.

NMSA 1978, § 41-9-4 Limitation on liability for members of review organizations

41-9-4. Limitation on liability for members of review organizations No person who is a member or employee of, who acts in an advisory capacity to or who furnishes counsel or services to a review organization shall be liable for damages or other relief in any action brought by a person or persons whose activities have been or are being scrutinized or reviewed by a review organization by reason of the performance by the person of any duty, function or activity of such review organization, unless the performance of such duty, function or activity was done with malice toward the person affected thereby. No person shall be liable for damages or other relief in any action by reason of the performance of the person of any duty, function or activity as a member of a review organization or by reason of any recommendation or action of the review organization when the person acts in the reasonable belief that the person's action or recommendation is warranted by facts known to the person or the review organization after reasonable efforts to ascertain the facts upon which the review organization's action or recommendation is made. Laws 1979, ch. 169, § 4.

NMSA 1978, § 41-9-5 Confidentiality of records of review organization

41-9-5. Confidentiality of records of review organization A. Except as provided in Subsection B of this section, all data and information acquired by a review organization in the exercise of its duties and functions shall be held in confidence and shall not be disclosed to anyone except to the extent necessary to carry out one or more of the purposes of the review organization or in a judicial appeal from the action of the review organization. No person described in Section 41-9-4 NMSA 1978 shall disclose what transpired at a meeting of a review organization except to the extent necessary to carry out one or more of the purposes of the review organization, in a judicial appeal from the action of the review organization or when subpoenaed by the New Mexico medical board. Information, documents or records otherwise available from original sources shall not be immune from discovery or use in any civil action merely because they were presented during proceedings of a review organization, nor shall any person who testified before a review organization or who is a member of a review organization be prevented from testifying as to matters within the person's knowledge, but a witness cannot be asked about opinions formed by the witness as a result of the review organization's hearings. B. Information, documents or records that were not generated exclusively for, but were presented during, proceedings of a review organization shall be produced to the New Mexico medical board by the review organization or any other person possessing the information, documents or records in response to an investigative subpoena issued pursuant to Section 61-6-23 NMSA 1978 and shall be held in confidence by the New Mexico medical board pursuant to 61-6-34 NMSA 1978. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the New Mexico medical board to issue subpoenas requesting that any person appear to testify regarding what transpired at a meeting of a review organization or opinions formed as a result of review organization proceedings. Laws 1979, ch. 169, § 5; 2011, ch. 121, § 1.

NMSA 1978, § 41-9-6 Penalty for violation

41-9-6. Penalty for violation Any disclosure other than that authorized by the Review Organization Immunity Act of data and information acquired by a review organization or of what transpired at a review organization meeting is guilty of a petty misdemeanor and shall be punished by imprisonment for not to exceed six months or by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100), or both. Laws 1979, ch. 169, § 6.

NMSA 1978, § 41-9-7 Protection of patient

41-9-7. Protection of patient Nothing contained in the Review Organization Immunity Act shall be construed to relieve any person of any liability which the person has incurred or may incur to a patient as a result of furnishing health care services to such patient. Laws 1979, ch. 169, § 7.

Source: New Mexico Compilation Commission (nmonesource.com)URL: https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa-unanno/en/item/18541/index.doFetched: 10/20/2026