Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 94 Part 2.djvu/258

 94 STAT. 1536

Withholding record from congressional committees.

"Medical qualityassurance program."

Regulations.

PUBLIC LAW 96-385—OCT. 7, 1980

"(B) To a Federal executive agency or provider of health-care services, if such record or document is required by such agency or provider for participation by the Veterans' Administration in a health-care program with such agency or provider. "(C) To a criminal or civil law enforcement governmental agency or instrumentality charged under applicable law with the protection of the public health or safety, if a qualified representative of such agency or instrumentality makes a written request that such record or document be provided for a purpose authorized by law. "(D) To health-care personnel, to the extent necessary to meet a medical emergency affecting the health or safety of any individual. "(2) The name of and other identifying information regarding any individual Veterans' Administration patient or employee, or any other individual associated with the Veterans' Administration for purposes of a medical quality-assurance program, contained in a record or document described in subsection (a) of this section shall be deleted from any record or document before any disclosure made under this subsection if disclosure of such name and identifying information would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. "(3) No person or entity to whom a record or document has been disclosed under this subsection shall make further disclosure of such record or document except for a purpose provided in this subsection. "(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed as authority to withhold any record or document from a committee of either House of Congress or any joint committee of Congress, if such record or document pertains to any matter within the jurisdiction of such committee or joint committee. "(5) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting the use of records and documents described in subsection (a) of this section within the Veterans' Administration (including contractors and consultants of the Veterans' Administration). "(c) For the purpose of this section, the term 'medical qualityassurance program means— "(1) with respect to any activity carried out before the date of the enactment of this section, a Veterans' Administration systematic health-care review activity carried out by or for the Veterans' Administration for the purpose of improving the quality of medical care or improving the utilization of healthcare resources in Veterans' Administration health-care facilities; and "(2) with respect to any activity carried out on or after the date of the enactment of this section, a Veterans' Administration systematic health-care review activity designated by the Administator to be carried out by or for the Veterans' Administration for either such purpose. "(d)(1) Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Administrator shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section. In prescribing such regulations, the Administrator shall specify those activities carried out before such enactment date which the Administrator determines meet the definition of medical quality-assurance program in subsection (c)(1) of this section and those activities which the Administrator has designated under subsection (c)(2) of this section. The Administrator shall, to the extent appropriate, incorporate into such regulations the provisions of the

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