(1) All meetings, proceedings, and deliberations of the governing body, its staff or agents, concerning the granting, denial, revocation, restriction, or other consideration of the status of the clinical or staff privileges of a physician or other health care provider as defined in RCW 7.70.020, if such other providers at the discretion of the governing body are considered for such privileges, must be confidential and may be conducted in executive session; however, the final action of the governing body as to the denial, revocation, or restriction of clinical or staff privileges of a physician or other health care provider as defined in RCW 7.70.020 must be done in public session.

(2) All meetings, proceedings, and deliberations of a quality improvement committee established under RCW 4.24.250, 43.70.510, or 70.41.200 and all meetings, proceedings, and deliberations of the governing body, its staff or agents, to review the report or the activities of a quality improvement committee established under RCW 4.24.250, 43.70.510, or 70.41.200 may, at the discretion of the quality improvement committee or the governing body, be confidential and may be conducted in executive session. Any review conducted by the governing body or quality improvement committee, or their staff or agents, must be subject to the same protections, limitations, and exemptions that apply to quality improvement committee activities under RCW 4.24.240, 4.24.250, 43.70.510, and 70.41.200. However, any final action of the governing body on the report of the quality improvement committee must be done in public session.

(3) For the purposes of this section:

(a) "Governing body" means the board or committee of a public hospital with authority to make final decisions concerning the granting, denial, revocation, restriction, or other consideration of the clinical or staff privileges of a physician or other health care provider, as defined in RCW 7.70.020; and

(b) "Public hospital" means any hospital owned or operated by the state or any of its subdivisions, including the University of Washington.