§ 8.01-581.19:1.Civil immunity for persons providing information to certain committees.

This section protects the informant, not the practitioner under investigation. Anyone who provides information to a qualifying committee investigating a complaint that a practitioner of medicine, osteopathy, optometry, chiropractic, podiatry, clinical psychology, physical therapy, veterinary medicine, or physical therapist assisting may be unable to safely practice — because of alcohol, drugs, other substances, or a mental or physical condition — is immune from civil liability for the act, utterance, or communication made in providing that information.

That immunity has two limits: it doesn’t apply if the act, utterance, or communication was made in bad faith or with malicious intent, or if the disclosure itself is prohibited by federal law or its implementing regulations. And the protection only attaches when the receiving entity fits one of several institutional categories — established under federal or state law, established by public or licensed private hospitals, or a medical, chiropractic, optometric, veterinary, or clinical psychology society operating an impairment program in cooperation with the relevant licensing board.