Alabama § 34-24-60 - Confidentiality of Records, Etc.; Authorized Release; Waiver.

§ 34-24-60. Confidentiality of Records, Etc.; Authorized Release; Waiver.

(a)(1) All reports of investigations; documents subpoenaed by the board; reports of any investigative committee appointed by the board; memoranda of the board’s counsel relating to investigations; statements of persons interviewed by the board or any committee of the board; all information, interviews, reports, statements, or memoranda of any kind furnished to the board or any committee of the board; and any findings, conclusions, or recommendations resulting from proceedings of the board or any committee of the board, unless presented as evidence at a public hearing, shall be privileged and confidential, shall be used only in the exercise of the proper functions of the board, and shall not be public records nor be available for court subpoena or for discovery proceedings. Meetings of the board in which any of the aforementioned items are received, reviewed, deliberated, voted on, or acted on by the board shall be closed sessions, and any report or recording of the meeting shall be privileged and confidential.

(2) Nothing contained herein shall apply to records made in the regular course of business of an individual; documents or records otherwise available from original sources are not to be construed as immune from discovery or use in any civil proceedings merely because they were presented or considered during the proceedings of the Board of Medical Examiners or the Medical Licensure Commission.

(b) The board may authorize the release of investigative records and files to municipal, county, state, and federal law enforcement or regulatory agencies or officials and to state and United States territorial medical licensing agencies or officials.

(c) Use of the materials and records in contested cases before the Medical Licensure Commission or release of records to law enforcement, regulatory, or medical licensing agencies or officials shall not be deemed a waiver of confidentiality or privilege established by this section.