MS HB148

Creates Section 41-9-55 of Mississippi Code requiring hospitals licensed by the State Department of Health to provide medical records to receiving hospitals when transferring patients outside the emergency department.

Transferring hospitals must provide imaging records, laboratory study records, and physician and nursing records that are pertinent to the patient's condition and available at time of transfer.

Applies to all inter-hospital transfers including those within hospital systems, unless records are already held in common within the system.

State Department of Health shall enforce compliance and may assess civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation for hospitals that intentionally or negligently fail to provide required records.

Effective July 1, 2012.