Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §833, sub-§1, ¶¶C and D, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 782, §4, are amended to read:

C. The employee is requested to participate in an investigation, hearing or inquiry held by that public body, or in a court action; or

D. The employee acting in good faith, has refused to carry out a directive that would expose the employee or any individual to a condition that would result in serious injury or death, after having sought and been unable to obtain a correction of the dangerous condition from the employer. ; or

Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §833, sub-§1, ¶E is enacted to read:

E.__The employee of an employer, acting in good faith, or a person acting on behalf of the employee, reports to the employer, a patient or a public body, orally or in writing, what the employee has reasonable cause to believe is an act or omission that constitutes a deviation from the applicable standard of care for a patient by an employer charged with the care of that patient.__For purposes of this paragraph, "employer" means a health care provider, health care practitioner or health care entity as defined in Title 24, section 2502.

SUMMARY

This bill protects health care workers who report medical errors to their employers, a patient or a public body.