2019 District of Columbia Code
Title 7 - Human Health Care and Safety.
Chapter 6B - Physician Assisted Death.
§ 7–661.10. Health care provider participation; notification; permissible sanctions.

(a) No health care provider shall be obligated under this chapter, by contract, or otherwise, to participate in the provision of a covered medication to a qualified patient.

(b) If a health care provider is unable or unwilling to carry out a patient's request for a covered medication under this chapter and the patient transfers his or her care to a new health care provider, the prior health care provider shall transfer, upon request of the patient, a copy of the patient's relevant medical records to the new health care provider.

(c) A health care provider may prohibit any other health care provider that it employs or contracts with from providing a covered medication under this chapter on the prohibiting health care provider's premises; provided, that the prohibiting health care provider has notified the health care provider of this policy before the employee or contractor has provided a covered medication.

(d) Notwithstanding § 7-661.11, if, before a covered medication has been provided, the prohibiting health care provider has notified the sanctioned health care provider that it prohibits providing a covered medication under this chapter, the prohibiting health care provider may impose the following sanctions:

(1) Loss of privileges, loss of membership, or other sanction pursuant to the prohibiting health care provider's medical staff bylaws, policies, and procedures, if the sanctioned health care provider is a member of the prohibiting health care provider's medical staff and participates under this chapter while on staff on the premises of the prohibiting health care provider's health care facility;

(2) Termination of the lease or other property contract or other nonmonetary remedies provided under the lease or property contract, not including loss or restriction of medical staff privileges or exclusion from a provider panel, if the sanctioned health care provider participates under this chapter while on the premises of a prohibiting health care provider's health care facility or on the property that is owned by or under the direct control of the prohibiting health care provider;

(3) Termination of an employment contract or other nonmonetary remedies provided by contract if the sanctioned health care provider participates under this chapter in the course and scope of the sanctioned health care provider's duties as an employee or independent contractor of the prohibiting health care provider; or

(4) Any other sanctions and penalties in accordance with the prohibiting health care provider's policies and practices; provided, that no sanctions or penalties shall be imposed under this paragraph without a procedure for contesting the sections and penalties.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent:

(1) A health care provider from participating under this chapter while acting outside the course and scope of the health care provider's duties as an employee or independent contractor of the prohibiting health care provider;

(2) A patient from contracting with his or her attending physician and consulting physician to act outside the course and scope of the health care provider's duties as an employee or independent contractor of the prohibiting health care provider;

(3) A health care provider from making an initial determination pursuant to the standard of care that a patient has a terminal disease and informing him or her of the medical prognosis;

(4) A health care provider from providing information about this chapter upon the request of the patient; or

(5) A health care provider from providing a patient, upon request, with a referral to another health care provider.

(f) Sanctions issued pursuant to subsection (d) of this section are not reportable under § 3-1205.13(a)(4)(C).

(Feb. 18, 2017, D.C. Law 21-182, § 11, 63 DCR 15697.)

Section 7018 of D.C. Law 22-33 repealed § 18 of D.C. Law 21-182. Therefore the creation of this section by D.C. Law 21-182 has been implemented.

A certification dated June 6, 2017, that the fiscal effect of the Death with Dignity Act of 2016, D.C. Law 21-182, has been included in an approved budget and financial plan was published in the D.C. Register on June 16, 2017 (64 DCR 5670). Therefore the creation of this section by that amendment has been implemented.

Applicability of D.C. Law 21-182: § 18 of D.C. Law 21-182 provided that the creation of this section by § 11 of D.C. Law 21-182 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.

For temporary (90 days) repeal of § 18 of D.C. Law 21-182, see § 7018 of Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-167, Oct. 24, 2017, 64 DCR 10802).

For temporary (90 days) repeal of § 18 of D.C. Law 21-182, see § 7018 of Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-104, July 20, 2017, 64 DCR 7032).