Opinion No. (2002)

BILL LOCKYER Attorney General MARJORIE E. COX Deputy Attorney General THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGED HEALTH CARE has requested an opinion on the following questions: 1. Are the meetings of the Clinical Advisory Panel within the Department of Managed Health Care subject to the requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act? 2. If so, may the Clinical Advisory Panel meet in closed session when it obtains and reviews information and findings arising from the independent medical review system? CONCLUSIONS 1. The meetings of the Clinical Advisory Panel within the Department of Managed health Care are subject to the requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. 2. The Clinical Advisory Panel may not meet in closed session when it obtains and reviews information and findings arising from the independent medical review system. ANALYSIS Effective July 1, 2001, the Legislature established the Department of Managed Health Care ("Department"), making it responsible for administering the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Health Saf. Code, §§ 1340 - 1399.818 ; "KnoxKeene Act"). 1 One of the Department's chief purposes is to "ensure that health care service plans…