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2004 SESSION

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HB 879 Health records; privacy provisions.

Introduced by: John M. O'Bannon, III | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS PASSED: (all summaries)

Health records privacy. Revises the Virginia patient privacy provision to comply more closely with the regulations promulgated pursuant to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended, relating to health records. Closer compliance is achieved through various syntax changes in terminology, definitions, and forms, and revisions and additions to the definitions, e.g., "health care entity," as defined in this provision, includes all health care providers, health plans or health care clearinghouses. The bill refers to an "individual" instead of a "patient"; to "health records" instead of "medical records"; and "health care providers" or "health care entities" instead of providers. This provision also revises the standard by which a patient can be denied access to his records to require the treating physician or clinical psychologist to find that a review of the individual's health records would be reasonably likely to endanger the life or physical safety of the individual or another person, or that a reference in the health records to another person would be reasonably likely to cause substantial harm to the referenced person. The individual may designate a reviewing physician or clinical psychologist at his own expense or the health care entity denying access to the health record will designate a reviewing physician or clinical psychologist at the expense of the relevant health care entity. The designated physician or clinical psychologist will make a judgment as to whether the health record should be made available to the individual.


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