3. a. A health care entity shall maintain all records of all documented complaints of events related to patient care about, and disciplinary proceedings or actions against, a health care professional who is employed by or has an affiliation with the health care entity. The health care entity shall retain the information for a period of seven years and make the records, including any information the health care entity has pertaining to records maintained on the health care professional prior to the effective date of P.L.1989, c.300 (C. 45:9-19.4 et al.), available to the division, the board which licenses or otherwise authorizes the health care professional to practice, the Medical Practitioner Review Panel established pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1989, c.300 (C. 45:9-19.8), and the Department of Health, as applicable, upon request.

b. A health care entity shall maintain for a period of four years all records and source data relating to its mortality, morbidity, complication, infection, and readmission and shall make the records available to the division, the board which licenses, or otherwise authorizes the health care professional, the review panel and the Department of Health, as applicable, upon request.

c. A health care entity which fails to maintain the records required pursuant to this section shall be subject to such penalties as the Department of Health shall determine pursuant to sections 13 and 14 of P.L.1971, c.136 (C. 26:2H-13 and 26:2H-14) and section 16 of P.L.1997, c.192 (C. 26:2S-16), or the director shall determine pursuant to P.L.1989, c.331 (C. 34:8-43 et seq.), as applicable.

L.1989, c.300, s.3; amended 2005, c.83, s.3; 2012, c.17, s.178.