                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

CIVIL IMMUNITY FOR PERSONS PROVIDING INFORMATION TO CERTAIN COMMITTEES (§
8.01-581.19:1)

Any person who provides information to any committee, board, group, commission,
or other entity which is authorized to investigate any complaint of physical or
mental impairment, that may show that any practitioner of medicine, osteopathy,
optometry, chiropractic, podiatry, clinical psychology, physical therapy,
veterinary medicine or any physical therapist assistant is unable to practice
his profession with reasonable skill and safety, by reason of the use of
alcohol, drugs, or other substances, or as a result of any mental or physical
condition, shall be immune from civil liability for any act done for, or any
utterance or communication made to, such entity in the course of providing such
information. However, this section shall not apply if the act, utterance, or
communication is done or made in bad faith or with malicious intent or if such
disclosure is prohibited by federal law or regulations promulgated thereunder.
		The provisions of this section shall apply only to such entities described in
this section as are (i) established pursuant to a federal or state law, (ii)
established and duly constituted by one or more public or licensed private
hospitals, (iii) a medical or chiropractic society that is operating its health
care provider impairment program in cooperation with the Board of Medicine, or
another governmental agency, (iv) an optometric society or association that is
operating its optometric impairment program in cooperation with the Virginia
Board of Optometry, (v) a veterinary medical association that is operating its
veterinarian impairment program in cooperation with the Virginia Board of
Veterinary Medicine, or (vi) a clinical psychology academy that is operating its
clinical psychology impairment program in cooperation with the Board of
Psychology.

HISTORY: 1986, c. 604; 1987, c. 713; 1989, c. 729; 1993, c. 702; 1996, cc. 937,
980.