§ 25-1-1201 — Legislative declaration

The general assembly hereby finds,
determines, and declares that maintaining the confidentiality of medical records is
of the utmost importance to the state and of critical importance to patient privacy
for high quality medical care. Most people in the United States consider
confidentiality of health information important and worry that the increased
computerization of health records may result in inappropriate disclosure of such
records. Patients have a strong interest in preserving the privacy of their personal
health information, but they also have an interest in medical research and other
efforts by health-care organizations to improve the medical care they receive. How
best to preserve confidentiality within a state health information infrastructure is
an important discussion that is affected by recent regulations promulgated by the
federal department of health and human services related to the electronic storage
of health information. The purpose of this part 12 is to index the provisions that
govern medical record confidentiality to facilitate locating the law concerning the
confidentiality of medical records and health information. It is not intended to
expand, narrow, or clarify existing provisions.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2001: Entire part added, p. 828, � 5, effective August 8.