Illinois § 35

§ 35.

Medically appropriate health care protection. (a) No health care plan or its subcontractors shall retaliate against a physician or other health care provider who advocates for appropriate health care services for patients. (b) It is the public policy of the State of Illinois that a physician or any other health care provider be encouraged to advocate for medically appropriate health care services for his or her patients. For purposes of this Section, "to advocate for medically appropriate health care services" means to appeal a decision to deny payment for a health care service pursuant to the reasonable grievance or appeal procedure established by a health care plan or to protest a decision, policy, or practice that the physician or other health care provider, consistent with that degree of learning and skill ordinarily possessed by physicians or other health care providers practicing in the same or a similar locality and under similar circumstances, reasonably believes impairs the physician's or other health care provider's ability to provide appropriate health care services to his or her patients. (c) This Section shall not be construed to prohibit a health care plan or its subcontractors from making a determination not to pay for a particular health care service or to prohibit a medical group, independent practice association, preferred provider organization, foundation, hospital medical staff, hospital governing body or health care plan from enforcing reasonable peer review or utilization review protocols or determining whether a physician or other health care provider has complied with those protocols. (d) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prohibit the governing body of a hospital or the hospital medical staff from taking disciplinary actions against a physician as authorized by law. (e) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prohibit the Department of Professional Regulation from taking disciplinary actions against a physician or other health care provider under the appropriate licensing Act. (f) Any violation of this Section shall be subject to the penalties under this Act. (Source: P.A. 91-617, eff. 1-1-00.)