HB388 Summary

• Requires all Alabama hospitals to submit inpatient and outpatient discharge data to the Department of Public Health beginning April 1, 2021, with quarterly reporting thereafter.

• Department must establish systems and processes operational by January 1, 2021 to protect, collect, and disseminate discharge data in compliance with federal HIPAA requirements.

• Establishes the Hospital Discharge Data Advisory Council with representatives from hospitals, physicians, insurers, consumers, and Medicaid to advise the department on rules and data protection.

• Imposes civil penalties of $0.05 per patient discharge record per day for delinquent reports, with a maximum penalty of $10 per record and hospitals unable to renew licenses if penalties remain unpaid.

• Protects patient privacy by keeping all individually identifiable information confidential and privileged from discovery, while authorizing release of de-identified limited data sets to the public compliant with federal law.