H-0373.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1214

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Representatives Carlson, Cody and Esser

Read first time 01/19/1999.  Referred to Committee on Health Care.

Requiring notice of location of medical records.

    AN ACT Relating to notification to patients by retiring and relocating health care providers or to the location of medical records; and amending RCW 70.02.120.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 70.02.120 and 1991 c 335 s 501 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) A health care provider who provides health care at a health care facility that the provider operates and who maintains a record of a patient's health care information shall create a "notice of information practices" that contains substantially the following:

                              NOTICE

"We keep a record of the health care services we provide you.  You may ask us to see and copy that record.  You may also ask us to correct that record.  We will not disclose your record to others unless you direct us to do so or unless the law authorizes or compels us to do so.  You may see your record or get more information about it at . . . . . ."

    (2) The health care provider shall place a copy of the notice of information practices in a conspicuous place in the health care facility, on a consent form or with a billing or other notice provided to the patient.

(3) Upon retirement or relocation of practice at another health care facility, a health care provider shall notify in writing at the last known address every patient for whom a personal record of health care information is maintained by the provider for the purposes of this section.

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