SB 1258 Summary

• Expands the definition of "health care provider" to include persons licensed under title 36 and adds new definitions for "clinical laboratory," "contractor," and "payment records" to medical records statutes.

• Allows clinical laboratories to disclose clinical laboratory results without written authorization to health care providers currently treating the patient and to service providers with business associate agreements under HIPAA privacy standards.

• Permits contractors who duplicate medical records on behalf of health care providers to handle records but requires they return all records to the health care provider after duplication or disclosure and prohibits further disclosure without authorization.

• Extends good faith immunity protections for medical records disclosure to contractors and clinical laboratories, with presumption of good faith rebuttable only by clear and convincing evidence.

• Adds "health care decision maker" definition references and HIPAA business associate agreement requirements to multiple sections governing confidentiality and disclosure of patient information in health care, immunization, laboratory testing, and communicable disease records.