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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>65119</law_id><section_number>32.1-134.1</section_number><catch_line>When denial, etc., to duly licensed physician of staff membership or professional privileges improper</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="32.1">Health</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="5">Regulation of Medical Care Facilities and Services</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="1">Hospital and Nursing Home Licensure and Inspection</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>It shall be an improper practice for the governing body of a <span class="dictionary">hospital</span> that has 25 beds or more and that is required by state <span class="dictionary">law</span> to be licensed to refuse or fail to act within 60 days of a completed application for staff membership or professional <span class="dictionary">privileges</span> or deny or withhold from a duly licensed physician staff membership or professional <span class="dictionary">privileges</span> in such <span class="dictionary">hospital</span>, or to exclude or expel a physician from staff membership in such <span class="dictionary">hospital</span> or curtail, terminate or diminish in any way a physician&#x2019;s professional <span class="dictionary">privileges</span> in such <span class="dictionary">hospital</span>, without stating in writing the reason or reasons therefor, a copy of which shall be provided to the physician. If the reason or reasons stated are unrelated to standards of patient care, patient welfare, violation of the rules and regulations of the institution or staff, the objectives or efficient operations of the institution, or the character or competency of the applicant, or misconduct in any <span class="dictionary">hospital</span>, it shall be deemed an improper practice.
		Any physician licensed in the Commonwealth to practice medicine who is aggrieved by any violation of this section shall have the right to seek an <span class="dictionary">injunction</span> from the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> of the city or county in which the <span class="dictionary">hospital</span> alleged to have violated this section is located prohibiting any such further violation. The provisions of this section shall not be deemed to impair or affect any other right or remedy, provided that a violation of this section shall not constitute a violation of the provisions of this article for the purposes of &#xA7;&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Sanctions; civil penalty" href="/32.1-27.3/">32.1-27.3</a> and <a class="law" title="Revocation or suspension of license or certification of hospital or certified nursing facility; restriction or prohibition of new admissions to certified nursing facility" href="/32.1-135/">32.1-135</a>.</p></section></text><history>1979, c. 711; 2025, cc. 166, 180.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
