Quality assurance activities of trauma agencies.

(1) As used in this section, the term “entity” means a local trauma agency or a regional trauma agency that performs quality assurance activities, or a panel or committee assembled to assist a local trauma agency or a regional trauma agency in performing quality assurance activities in accordance with a plan approved under s. 395.401.

(2) A hospital or an emergency medical services provider shall disclose records and reports of patient care, transport, and treatment to an entity, and a hospital or an emergency medical services provider may disclose to an entity and to one another its own quality assurance proceedings, records, or reports. However, this section does not require a hospital or an emergency medical services provider to disclose to an entity its own quality assurance proceedings, records, or reports prepared under s. 395.0191, s. 395.0193, s. 401.265, s. 401.30, s. 401.425, or s. 766.101.

(3) A local trauma agency or regional trauma agency may assemble a panel or committee to assist in performing the tasks authorized by an approved plan under s. 395.401.

(4) The investigations, proceedings, records, and reports obtained or made by any entity under this section are not subject to discovery or introduction into evidence in a civil or administrative action that arises out of a matter that is the subject of evaluation and review by the entity, and a person who attends a meeting of the entity may not testify in any such civil or administrative action as to any evidence or other matter produced or presented during the proceedings of the entity or as to any findings, recommendations, evaluations, opinions, or other actions of the entity or any members thereof. However, information, documents, or records provided to the entity from a source external to the entity are not immune from discovery or use in a civil or administrative action, and a person who is a member of the entity may testify in such action as to matters within his or her knowledge, but may not be asked about his or her testimony before the entity or about information obtained from or opinions formed by him or her as a result of participating in activities conducted by the entity.

(5)(a) There is no monetary liability on the part of, and no cause of action arises against, any person, including a person who acts as a witness, incident reporter to, or investigator for an entity for any act or proceeding undertaken or performed within the scope of the functions of the entity if the action is taken without intentional fraud or malice.

(b) The provisions of this section do not supersede the provisions of s. 768.28.

(6) Except as provided in subsection (4), this section does not confer immunity from liability on a person for services performed outside his or her capacity as a member of an entity or upon a person who acts as a witness for, incident reporter to, or investigator for the entity for any act or proceeding undertaken or performed outside the scope of the functions of the entity.

(7) If the defendant prevails in an action brought by a person against a person who initiated, participated in, was a witness in, or conducted any review as authorized by this section, the court shall award reasonable attorney’s fees and costs to the defendant.

(8) Nothing in this section, ss. 395.4001-395.405, or s. 395.51 prohibits admitting into evidence patient care, transport, or treatment records or reports, or records or reports of the department in any civil or administrative action brought by or involving the department, excluding the name, residence or business address, telephone number, social security or other identifying number, or photograph of any person or the spouse, relative, or guardian of such person or other patient-specific information that otherwise identifies the patient, either directly or indirectly.