6527. Special provisions. 1. A not-for-profit medical or dental expense indemnity corporation or a hospital service corporation organized under the insurance law may employ licensed physicians and enter into contracts with partnerships or medical corporations organized under article forty-four of the public health law, health maintenance organizations possessing a certificate of authority pursuant to article forty-four of the public health law, professional corporations organized under article fifteen of the business corporation law or other groups of physicians to practice medicine on its behalf for persons insured under its contracts or policies.
2. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of any general, special or local law, any licensed physician who voluntarily and without the expectation of monetary compensation renders first aid or emergency treatment at the scene of an accident or other emergency, outside a hospital, doctor's office or any other place having proper and necessary medical equipment, to a person who is unconscious, ill or injured, shall not be liable for damages for injuries alleged to have been sustained by such person or for damages for the death of such person alleged to have occurred by reason of an act or omission in the rendering of such first aid or emergency treatment unless it is established that such injuries were or such death was caused by gross negligence on the part of such physician. Nothing in this subdivision shall be deemed or construed to relieve a licensed physician from liability for damages for injuries or death caused by an act or omission on the part of a physician while rendering professional services in the normal and ordinary course of his practice.
3. No individual who serves as a member of (a) a committee established to administer a utilization review plan of a hospital, including a hospital as defined in article twenty-eight of the public health law or a hospital as defined in subdivision ten of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, or (b) a committee having the responsibility of the investigation of an incident reported pursuant to section 29.29 of the mental hygiene law or the evaluation and improvement of the quality of care rendered in a hospital as defined in article twenty-eight of the public health law or a hospital as defined in subdivision ten of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, or (c) any medical review committee or subcommittee thereof of a local, county or state medical, dental, podiatry or optometrical society, any such society itself, a professional standards review organization or an individual when such committee, subcommittee, society, organization or individual is performing any medical or quality assurance review function including the investigation of an incident reported pursuant to section 29.29 of the mental hygiene law, either described in clauses (a) and (b) of this subdivision, required by law, or involving any controversy or dispute between (i) a physician, dentist, podiatrist or optometrist or hospital administrator and a patient concerning the diagnosis, treatment or care of such patient or the fees or charges therefor or (ii) a physician, dentist, podiatrist or optometrist or hospital administrator and a provider of medical, dental, podiatric or optometrical services concerning any medical or health charges or fees of such physician, dentist, podiatrist or optometrist, or (d) a committee appointed pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred five-j of the public health law to participate in the medical and dental malpractice prevention program, or (e) any individual who participated in the preparation of incident reports required by the department of health pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred five-l of the public health law, or (f) a committee established to administer a utilization review plan, or a committee having the responsibility of evaluation and improvement of the quality of care rendered, in a health maintenance organization organized under article forty-four of the public health law or article forty-three of the insurance law, including a committee of an individual practice association or medical group acting pursuant to a contract with such a health maintenance organization, shall be liable in damages to any person for any action taken or recommendations made, by him within the scope of his function in such capacity provided that (a) such individual has taken action or made recommendations within the scope of his function and without malice, and (b) in the reasonable belief after reasonable investigation that the act or recommendation was warranted, based upon the facts disclosed.
Neither the proceedings nor the records relating to performance of a medical or a quality assurance review function or participation in a medical and dental malpractice prevention program nor any report required by the department of health pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred five-l of the public health law described herein, including the investigation of an incident reported pursuant to section 29.29 of the mental hygiene law, shall be subject to disclosure under article thirty-one of the civil practice law and rules except as hereinafter provided or as provided by any other provision of law. No person in attendance at a meeting when a medical or a quality assurance review or a medical and dental malpractice prevention program or an incident reporting function described herein was performed, including the investigation of an incident reported pursuant to section 29.29 of the mental hygiene law, shall be required to testify as to what transpired thereat. The prohibition relating to discovery of testimony shall not apply to the statements made by any person in attendance at such a meeting who is a party to an action or proceeding the subject matter of which was reviewed at such meeting.
4. This article shall not be construed to affect or prevent the following:
a. The furnishing of medical assistance in an emergency;
b. The practice of the religious tenets of any church;
c. A physician from refusing to perform an act constituting the practice of medicine to which he is conscientiously opposed by reason of religious training and belief.
d. The organization of a medical corporation under article forty-four of the public health law, the organization of a university faculty practice corporation under section fourteen hundred twelve of the not-for-profit corporation law or the organization of a professional service corporation under article fifteen of the business corporation law.
e. The physician's use of whatever medical care, conventional or non-conventional, which effectively treats human disease, pain, injury, deformity or physical condition.
5. There shall be no monetary liability on the part of, and no cause of action for damages shall arise against, any person, partnership, corporation, firm, society, or other entity on account of the communication of information in the possession of such person or entity, or on account of any recommendation or evaluation, regarding the qualifications, fitness, or professional conduct or practices of a physician, to any governmental agency, medical or specialists society, a hospital as defined in article twenty-eight of the public health law, a hospital as defined in subdivision ten of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, or a health maintenance organization organized under article forty-four of the public health law or article forty-three of the insurance law, including a committee of an individual practice association or medical group acting pursuant to a contract with a health maintenance organization. The foregoing shall not apply to information which is untrue and communicated with malicious intent.
6. A licensed physician may prescribe and order a non-patient specific regimen to a registered professional nurse, pursuant to regulations promulgated by the commissioner, and consistent with the public health law, for:
(a) administering immunizations.
(b) the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis.
(c) administering purified protein derivative (PPD) tests or other tests to detect or screen for tuberculosis infections.
(d) administering tests to determine the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus.
(e) administering tests to determine the presence of the hepatitis C virus.
(f) the urgent or emergency treatment of opioid related overdose or suspected opioid related overdose.
(g) screening of persons at increased risk of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.
* 7. A licensed physician may prescribe and order a patient specific order or non-patient specific regimen to a licensed pharmacist, pursuant to regulations promulgated by the commissioner, and consistent with the public health law, for administering immunizations to prevent influenza, pneumococcal, acute herpes zoster, meningococcal, tetanus, diphtheria or pertussis disease and medications required for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis. Nothing in this subdivision shall authorize unlicensed persons to administer immunizations, vaccines or other drugs.
* NB Effective until July 1, 2019
* 7. A licensed physician may prescribe and order a non-patient specific regimen to a licensed pharmacist, pursuant to regulations promulgated by the commissioner, and consistent with the public health law, for administering immunizations. Nothing in this subdivision shall authorize unlicensed persons to administer immunizations, vaccines or other drugs.
* NB Effective and Repealed July 1, 2019
7-a. A licensed physician may prescribe and order a patient specific order or non-patient specific order to a licensed pharmacist, pursuant to regulations promulgated by the commissioner in consultation with the commissioner of health, and consistent with the public health law, for dispensing up to a seven day starter pack of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis for the purpose of preventing human immunodeficiency virus infection following a potential human immunodeficiency virus exposure.
8. Nothing in this article shall prohibit the provision of psychotherapy as defined in subdivision two of section eighty-four hundred one of this title to the extent permissible within the scope of practice of medicine, by any not-for-profit corporation or education corporation providing services within the state of New York and operating under a waiver pursuant to section sixty-five hundred three-a of this title, provided that such entities offering such psychotherapy services shall only provide such services through an individual appropriately licensed or otherwise authorized to provide such services or a professional entity authorized by law to provide such services.
Last modified: February 3, 2019