Senate Bill sb2146c1

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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 2146

    By the Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care; and
    Senator Mitchell




    317-1811-01

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to medical records; providing

  3         legislative findings and intent; amending s.

  4         456.057, 395.3025, 400.1415, F.S.; prohibiting

  5         the use of a patient's medical records for

  6         purposes of solicitation and marketing without

  7         specific written release or authorization;

  8         providing an effective date.

  9

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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12         Section 1.  The Legislature finds that personally

13  identifying information, name, age, diagnosis, address, bank

14  account numbers, and debit and credit card numbers contained

15  in the records relating to an individual's personal health or

16  eligibility for health-related services made or received by

17  the individual's physician, pharmacist, and public or private

18  health facility be held confidential.  Furthermore, the

19  Legislature finds that every person has an expectation of and

20  a right to privacy in all matters concerning her or his

21  personal health when medical services are provided. Matters of

22  personal health are traditionally private and confidential

23  concerns between the patient and the health care provider. The

24  private and confidential nature or personal health matters

25  pervades both the public and private sectors. For these

26  reasons, it is the expressed intent of the Legislature to

27  protect confidential information and the individual's

28  expectations of, right to privacy in all matters regarding her

29  or his personal health, and not have such information

30  exploited for purposes of solicitation or marketing the sale

31  of goods and services.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 2146
    317-1811-01




  1         Section 2.  Subsection (5) of section 456.057, Florida

  2  Statutes, is amended to read:

  3         456.057  Ownership and control of patient records;

  4  report or copies of records to be furnished.--

  5         (5)(a)  Except as otherwise provided in this section

  6  and in s. 440.13(4)(c), such records may not be furnished to,

  7  and the medical condition of a patient may not be discussed

  8  with, any person other than the patient or the patient's legal

  9  representative or other health care practitioners and

10  providers involved in the care or treatment of the patient,

11  except upon written authorization of the patient. However,

12  such records may be furnished without written authorization

13  under the following circumstances:

14         1.(a)  To any person, firm, or corporation that has

15  procured or furnished such examination or treatment with the

16  patient's consent.

17         2.(b)  When compulsory physical examination is made

18  pursuant to Rule 1.360, Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, in

19  which case copies of the medical records shall be furnished to

20  both the defendant and the plaintiff.

21         3.(c)  In any civil or criminal action, unless

22  otherwise prohibited by law, upon the issuance of a subpoena

23  from a court of competent jurisdiction and proper notice to

24  the patient or the patient's legal representative by the party

25  seeking such records.

26         4.(d)  For statistical and scientific research,

27  provided the information is abstracted in such a way as to

28  protect the identity of the patient or provided written

29  permission is received from the patient or the patient's legal

30  representative.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 2146
    317-1811-01




  1         (b)  Absent a specific written release or authorization

  2  permitting utilization of patient information for solicitation

  3  or marketing the sale of goods or services, any use of that

  4  information for those purposes is prohibited.

  5         Section 3.  Subsection (7) of section 395.3025, Florida

  6  Statutes, is amended to read:

  7         395.3025  Patient and personnel records; copies;

  8  examination.--

  9         (7)(a)  If the content of any record of patient

10  treatment is provided under this section, the recipient, if

11  other than the patient or the patient's representative, may

12  use such information only for the purpose provided and may not

13  further disclose any information to any other person or

14  entity, unless expressly permitted by the written consent of

15  the patient.  A general authorization for the release of

16  medical information is not sufficient for this purpose.  The

17  content of such patient treatment record is confidential and

18  exempt from the provisions of s . 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art.

19  I of the State Constitution.

20         (b)  Absent a specific written release or authorization

21  permitting utilization of patient information for solicitation

22  or marketing the sale of goods or services, any use of that

23  information for those purposes is prohibited.

24         Section 4.  Subsection (1) of section 400.1415, Florida

25  Statutes, is amended to read:

26         400.1415  Patient records; penalties for alteration.--

27         (1)  Any person who fraudulently alters, defaces, or

28  falsifies any medical record or releases medical records for

29  the purposes of solicitation or marketing the sale of goods or

30  services absent a specific written release or authorization

31  permitting utilization of patient information; or other

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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 2146
    317-1811-01




  1  nursing home record, or causes or procures any of these

  2  offenses to be committed, commits a misdemeanor of the second

  3  degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

  4         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

  5

  6          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
  7                         Senate Bill 2146

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  9  The bill prohibits the use of patient information for
    solicitation or marketing the sale of goods or services absent
10  a specific written release or authorization permitting
    utilization of patient information for that purpose.
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