Protection from discovery of hospital peer review committee records

Integral to an effective peer review process is the assurance that the comments of those serving on the hospital's peer review committee will remain confidential. In recent years, several court cases appear to have eroded this assurance of confidentiality by allowing the discovery of hospital review records. This article examines the legal status of peer review confidentiality in selected states and concludes that the confidentiality of peer review proceedings remains intact in most states.