(1) A health carrier shall:

(a) Establish written policies and procedures for credentialing verification of all health care professionals with whom the health carrier contracts and apply these standards consistently;

(b) Verify the credentials of a health care professional before entering into a contract with that health care professional. The medical director of the health carrier or other designated health care professional shall have responsibility for, and shall participate in, credentialing verification;

(c) Establish a credentialing verification committee consisting of licensed physicians and other health care professionals to review credentialing verification information and supporting documents and make decisions regarding credentialing verification;

(d) Make available for review by the applying health care professional upon written request all application and credentialing verification policies and procedures;

(e) Retain all records and documents relating to a health care professional's credentialing verification process for at least five years; and

(f) Keep confidential all information obtained in the credentialing verification process except as otherwise provided by law.

(2) Nothing in the Health Care Professional Credentialing Verification Act shall be construed to require a health carrier to select a provider as a participating provider solely because the provider meets the health carrier's credentialing verification standards or to prevent a health carrier from utilizing separate or additional criteria in selecting the health care professionals with whom it contracts.

(3) The policies and procedures for credentialing verification shall be available for review by the director, and, in the case of a health maintenance organization, shall also be available for review by the chief medical officer, if one is appointed pursuant to section 81-3115, and if not, then the Director of Public Health.