industry feature Two Healthcare Worlds Colliding: Peer Review and Human Resource Issues in the Employed Physician Universe By Patrick D. Souter, Esquire Quiz on page 14; Worksheet on page 42 M arket forces have necessitated the continued evolution of affiliations between hospitals and physicians. Whether it’s the hospital and its management and staff, the physician or either party’s advising attorney, one involved in these types of arrangements must be leery of how an attempt to comply with one area 10 / SYNERGY July /A ugust 2013 of the law may manifest in legal concerns developing in related areas. One affiliation witnessing a significant increase in prevalence is that of the hospital-employed physician who has medical staff privileges. Because of this affiliation, the laws affecting peer review and human resources may intersect in dealing with complaints involving the physician’s performance. When these two worlds do collide, peer review privilege and immunity may be impacted by the investigation of the complaints or the termination of the physician’s employment or the denial of privileges. The result of such an incident was recently addressed in Ryskin v. Banner Health Inc.1