38-1,125 Credential holder except pharmacist intern and pharmacy technician; incompetent, gross negligent, or unprofessional conduct; impaired or disabled person; duty to report.
38-1,125. Credential holder except pharmacist intern and pharmacy technician; incompetent, gross negligent, or unprofessional conduct; impaired or disabled person; duty to report.(1) Every credential holder, except pharmacist interns and pharmacy technicians, shall, within thirty days of an occurrence described in this subsection, report to the department in such manner and form as the department may require whenever he or she:(a) Has first-hand knowledge of facts giving him or her reason to believe that any person in his or her profession:(i) Has acted with gross incompetence or gross negligence;(ii) Has engaged in a pattern of incompetent or negligent conduct as defined in section 38-177;(iii) Has engaged in unprofessional conduct as defined in section 38-179;(iv) Has been practicing while his or her ability to practice is impaired by alcohol, controlled substances, mind-altering substances, or physical, mental, or emotional disability; or(v) Has otherwise violated the regulatory provisions governing the practice of the profession;(b) Has first-hand knowledge of facts giving him or her reason to believe that any person in another profession:(i) Has acted with gross incompetence or gross negligence; or(ii) Has been practicing while his or her ability to practice is impaired by alcohol, controlled substances, mind-altering substances, or physical, mental, or emotional disability; or(c) Has been the subject of any of the following actions:(i) Loss of privileges in a hospital or other health care facility due to alleged incompetence, negligence, unethical or unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment or the voluntary limitation of privileges or resignation from the staff of any health care facility when that occurred while under formal or informal investigation or evaluation by the facility or a committee of the facility for issues of clinical competence, unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment;(ii) Loss of employment due to alleged incompetence, negligence, unethical or unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment;(iii) An adverse judgment, settlement, or award arising out of a professional liability claim, including a settlement made prior to suit in which the consumer releases any professional liability claim against the credentialed person, or adverse action by an insurance company affecting professional liability coverage. The department may define what constitutes a settlement that would be reportable when a credential holder refunds or reduces a fee or makes no charge for reasons related to a consumer complaint other than costs;(iv) Denial of a credential or other form of authorization to practice by any jurisdiction due to alleged incompetence, negligence, unethical or unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment;(v) Disciplinary action against any credential or other form of permit he or she holds taken by any jurisdiction, the settlement of such action, or any voluntary surrender of or limitation on any such credential or other form of permit;(vi) Loss of membership in, or discipline of a credential related to the applicable profession by, a professional organization due to alleged incompetence, negligence, unethical or unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment; or(vii) Conviction of any misdemeanor or felony in this or any other jurisdiction.(2) The requirement to file a report under subdivision (1)(a) or (b) of this section shall not apply:(a) To the spouse of the credential holder;(b) To a practitioner who is providing treatment to such credential holder in a practitioner-consumer relationship concerning information obtained or discovered in the course of treatment unless the treating practitioner determines that the condition of the credential holder may be of a nature which constitutes a danger to the public health and safety by the credential holder's continued practice; or(c) When a credential holder who is chemically impaired enters the Licensee Assistance Program authorized by section 38-175 except as otherwise provided in such section.(3) A report submitted by a professional liability insurance company on behalf of a credential holder within the thirty-day period prescribed in subsection (1) of this section shall be sufficient to satisfy the credential holder's reporting requirement under subsection (1) of this section. SourceLaws 2007, LB247, § 61; Laws 2007, LB463, § 125.