Section 844IAC5-2-8. Peer reviews

   (a) A practitioner who has personal knowledge based upon a reasonable belief that another practitioner holding the same licenses has engaged in illegal, unlawful, incompetent, or fraudulent conduct in the practice of medicine or osteopathic medicine shall promptly report such conduct to a peer review or similar body, as defined in IC 34-4-12.6-1(c) [IC 34-4 was repealed by P.L.1-1998, SECTION 221, effective July 1, 1998.], having jurisdiction over the offending practitioner and the matter. This provision does not prohibit a practitioner from promptly reporting said conduct directly to the medical licensing board. Further, a practitioner who has personal knowledge of any person engaged in, or attempting to engage in, the unauthorized practice of medicine or osteopathic medicine shall promptly report such conduct to the medical licensing board.

  (b) A practitioner who voluntarily submits himself/herself to, or is otherwise undergoing a course of, treatment for addiction, severe dependency upon alcohol or other drugs or controlled substances, or for psychiatric impairment, where such treatment is sponsored or supervised by an impaired physicians' committee of a state, regional, or local organization of professional health care providers, or where such treatment is sponsored or supervised by an impaired physicians' committee of a hospital, shall be exempt from reporting to a peer review committee as set forth in subsection (a) or to the medical licensing board for so long as:

(1) the practitioner is complying with the course of treatment; and

(2) the practitioner is making satisfactory progress.

  (c) If the practitioner fails to comply with, or is not benefitted by, the course of treatment, the practitioner-chief administrative officer, his designee, or any member of the impaired physicians' committee shall promptly report such facts and circumstances to the medical licensing board. This section shall not, in any manner whatsoever, directly or indirectly, be deemed or construed to prohibit, restrict, limit, or otherwise preclude the medical licensing board from taking such action as it deems appropriate or as may otherwise be provided by law. (Medical Licensing Board of Indiana; 844 IAC 5-2-8; filed Nov 30, 1990, 4:15 p.m.: 14 IR 751; readopted filed Nov 9, 2001, 3:16 p.m.: 25 IR 1325; readopted filed Oct 4, 2007, 3:36 p.m.: 20071031-IR-844070050RFA; readopted filed Nov 25, 2013, 9:24 a.m.: 20131225-IR-844130307RFA)