REQUEST FOR PEER REVIEW COMMITTEE DETERMINATION.

(a) In this section, "duty to a patient" means conduct required by standards of practice or professional conduct adopted by the board for nurses. The term includes administrative decisions directly affecting a nurse's ability to comply with that duty.

(a-1) For purposes of this section, a nurse or nurse administrator acts in good faith in connection with a request made or an action taken by the nurse or nurse administrator if there is a reasonable factual or legal basis for the request or action.

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-1), if a person who is required to establish a nursing peer review committee under Section 303.0015 requests a nurse to engage in conduct that the nurse believes violates a nurse's duty to a patient, the nurse may request, on a form developed by the board or on another form that meets standards developed by the board, a determination by a nursing peer review committee under this chapter of whether the conduct violates a nurse's duty to a patient.

(b-1) If a nurse is unable to complete a form required by Subsection (b) due to immediate patient care needs, the nurse may request a nursing peer review committee determination by orally notifying the nurse's supervisor of the request. After receiving oral notification of a request, the nurse's supervisor shall record in writing:

(1) the name of the nurse making the request;

(2) the date and time of the request;

(3) the location where the conduct or assignment that is the subject of the request occurred;

(4) the name of the person who requested the nurse engage in the conduct or made the assignment that is the subject of the request;

(5) the name of the supervisor recording the request;

(6) a brief explanation of why the nurse is requesting a nursing peer review committee determination; and

(7) a description of the collaboration between the nurse and the supervisor.

(b-2) To be a valid request for a nursing peer review committee determination, the written record prepared under Subsection (b-1) must be signed and attested to by the requesting nurse and the nurse's supervisor who prepared the written record.

(c) A nurse who in good faith requests a peer review determination under Subsection (b):

(1) may not be disciplined or discriminated against for making the request;

(2) may engage in the requested conduct pending the peer review;

(3) is not subject to the reporting requirement under Subchapter I, Chapter 301; and

(4) may not be disciplined by the board for engaging in that conduct while the peer review is pending.

(d) If a nurse requests a peer review determination under Subsection (b) or (b-1) and refuses to engage in the requested conduct pending the peer review, the determination of the peer review committee shall be considered in any decision by the nurse's employer to discipline the nurse for the refusal to engage in the requested conduct, but the determination is not binding if a nurse administrator believes in good faith that the peer review committee has incorrectly determined a nurse's duty. This subsection does not affect the protections provided by Subsection (c)(1) or Section 301.352.

(e) If the conduct for which the peer review is requested under Subsection (b) involves the medical reasonableness of a physician's order, the medical staff or medical director shall be requested to make a determination as to the medical reasonableness of the physician's order, and that determination is determinative of that issue.

(f) A nurse's rights under this section may not be nullified by a contract.

(g) An appropriate licensing agency may take action against a person who violates this section.

(h) A person may not suspend or terminate the employment of, or otherwise discipline or discriminate against, a nurse who in good faith requests a peer review determination under this section or a person who advises a nurse of the nurse's right to request a determination or of the procedures for requesting a determination. A violation of this subsection is subject to Section 301.413.

(i) A person who is required to provide, on request, a nursing peer review committee determination under Subsection (b) shall adopt and implement a policy to inform nurses of the right to request a nursing peer review committee determination and the procedure for making a request.