PHYSICIAN COMMUNICATION AND CONTRACTS

(a) A hospital, whether by contract, by granting or withholding staff privileges, or otherwise, may not restrict a physician's ability to communicate with a patient with respect to: (1) the patient's coverage under a health care plan; (2) any subject related to the medical care or health care services to be provided to the patient, including treatment options that are not provided under a health care plan; (3) the availability or desirability of a health care plan or insurance or similar coverage, other than the patient's health care plan; or (4) the fact that the physician's staff privileges or contract with a hospital or health care plan have terminated or that the physician will otherwise no longer be providing medical care or health care services at the hospital or under the health care plan. (b) A hospital, by contract or otherwise, may not refuse or fail to grant or renew staff privileges, or condition staff privileges, based in whole or in part on the fact that the physician or a partner, associate, or employee of the physician is providing medical or health care services at a different hospital or hospital system. (c) A hospital may not contract to limit a physician's participation or staff privileges or the participation or staff privileges of a partner, associate, or employee of the physician at a different hospital or hospital system. (d) This section does not prevent a hospital from entering into contracts with physicians to ensure physician availability and coverage at the hospital or to comply with regulatory requirements or quality of care standards established by the governing body of the hospital. (e) This section does not prevent the governing body of a hospital from: (1) limiting the number of physicians granted medical staff membership or privileges at the hospital based on a medical staff development plan that is unrelated to a physician's professional or business relationships or associations including those with another physician or group of physicians or to a physician or a partner, associate, or employee of a physician having medical staff membership or privileges at another hospital or hospital system; or (2) limiting the ability of hospital medical directors to contract with or hold medical staff memberships or clinical privileges at different hospitals or hospital systems provided that such limitations do not extend to the medical directors' professional or business relationships or associations including those with another physician, group of physicians, or other health care providers, other than hospitals or hospital systems. (f) A contract provision that violates this section is void. (g) In this section, "health care plan" has the meaning assigned by Section 843.002, Insurance Code, and "hospital medical directors" means physicians who have been employed by or are under contract with a hospital to manage a clinical department or departments of the hospital.