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Panel backs protections for managing-entity medical review committees
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to report favorably on CS/SB 514, which clarifies that medical quality review committees used by behavioral-health managing entities receive the same civil-liability protections and public-records exemptions as other medical review committees.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday reported favorably on CS for Senate Bill 514, a measure sponsored by Senator Harrell that extends civil-liability protections and public-records exemptions to medical quality review committees used by managing entities that oversee behavioral health and substance-use services.
The bill clarifies that the internal medical quality review processes used by managing entities to evaluate providers and medical records "are really acting as other medical review committees do such as physician groups, hospital groups and everything and have the same protections that they do in the way of civil liability and also, public records exemptions," Senator Harrell said while explaining the measure to the committee.
The measure also included a technical amendment (barcode 153390) offered by Harrell that removed the word "malpractice" from the bill title to avoid suggesting the measure creates or addresses malpractice standards; the amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Harrell told the committee the bill is intended to let managing entities — organizations that distribute state funds and oversee providers in mental-health and substance-use systems — carry out internal quality reviews without facing civil exposure or the need to disclose certain deliberative records. Witnesses who filed in support included representatives of the Florida Hospital Association and the Florida Association of Managing Entities; their appearance forms showed they waived speaking time.
Committee staff called the roll on the committee substitute and recorded 11 yeas, 0 nays; the chair announced CS for Senate Bill 514 would be reported favorably.
The committee took up the bill with no extended debate. Senator Harrell closed by saying the bill "is really making sure our managing entities are able to do what they need to do and not be burdened with the, public records issues and liability issues." The committee then adopted the amendment and approved the bill as amended.
The committee action sends the committee substitute on to the next steps in the legislative process; the transcript does not specify subsequent committee referrals or floor scheduling.
