Closed sessions of meetings may be conducted to consider, discuss, and act upon matters relating to any of the following:

(a)  Collective bargaining or contract negotiations with represented and unrepresented employees, including discussion of the corporation’s available funds and funding priorities, but only insofar as the discussion relates to the corporation’s ability to conclude the collective bargaining agreement or contract under discussion. For the purposes of this subdivision, “employee” shall include an officer, an independent contractor who functions as an officer or an employee, a physician and surgeon or other professional with medical staff privileges at a health facility or clinic operated by the corporation, or other person exercising professional responsibilities as authorized by the corporation at a health facility or clinic operated by the corporation, but shall not include other independent contractors.

(b)  The purchase or sale of securities or other investments, including investments of the corporation in endowment and pension funds.

(c)  Gifts, devises, bequests, and grants.

(d)  Reports of a hospital or medical audit committee or a quality assurance committee or similar reports by staff of the corporation, accreditation reports, audits, audit compliance, licensure compliance, insurance and self-insurance coverage, health care peer review reports, and quality assessments, including, but not limited to, a review of the credentials of, or the quality of care rendered by, health care providers in the facilities of the corporation, or hearings regarding the privileges of medical staff and allied health professionals.

(e)  National security.

(f)  Acquisition, disposition, or lease of property. However, notwithstanding any other provision of this article, no less than 10 days prior to any action on any transaction involving the acquisition, disposition, or lease of real property having a fair market value of five million dollars ($5,000,000) or more or personal property having a fair market value of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) or more that is owned by a state agency, including a constitutional corporation, the corporation shall hold an open session at which the public shall have an opportunity to comment on the proposed transaction.

(g)  Pending litigation, including any adjudicatory proceeding before a court, administrative body, hearing officer, arbitrator, mediator, or other formal dispute resolution mechanism. For the purposes of this subdivision “pending” means that, based on advice of the corporation’s legal counsel, there are facts and circumstances within the contemplation of the corporation that may result or has resulted in proceedings against or by the corporation, whether or not known to a potential plaintiff or plaintiffs or to a potential defendant or defendants.

(h)  Evaluation, appointment, employment, performance, compensation, or dismissal of officers or employees of the corporation or its medical or professional staff, including internal adjudicatory proceedings, complaints, charges, investigations, and hearings. For the purposes of this subdivision, the term “employee” shall include an officer, an independent contractor who functions as an officer or performs functions traditionally performed by an employee, a physician and surgeon or other professional with medical staff privileges at a health facility or clinic operated by the corporation, or other person exercising professional responsibilities as authorized by the corporation at a health facility or clinic operated by the corporation, but shall not include any member of the board of directors, as such, or other independent contractors. The term “employee” shall also include a chief executive officer or other employee of the corporation who is an ex-officio member of the board of directors.

(i)  Consideration of the appointment or reappointment of directors to the board of the corporation.

(j)  The terms and conditions of contracts for the provision of health care services, including compliance with regulatory conditions thereof, with governmental and nongovernmental insurers, health care providers, health plans, third-party administrators, management services organizations, self-insured employers, medical groups, and payers or any other portion of contract negotiations, impressions, opinions, recommendations, meeting minutes, research, work product, theories or strategy, or instructions or advice to employees.

(k)  Charges or complaints from a member enrolled in a health plan or any affiliated provider of health care services.

( l)  Any trade secret as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 3426.1 of the Civil Code.

(m)  Any item that cannot be discussed in open session without revealing information prohibited or exempted from public disclosure by any provision of state or federal law applicable to any governmental hospital, or any state or federal statute applicable to a nongovernmental hospital, including, but not limited to, provisions of the Evidence Code relating to privilege. Prior to holding any closed session under this subdivision, the provision of state or federal law shall be publicly identified, where applicable.

(Added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 927, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1998.)