We will begin by tracing the peer review process from its early development to the present time, reviewing the legal process of change and the acceptance by hospitals and physicians of their responsibility for assuring the quality of care. We will then build on this history by reviewing the legal status of peer review today. Case law as well as both federal and state peer review law will be examined. This lays the foundation of the remainder of the program. From this foundation, the remainder of the program and the development of the peer review process are built.