AN ACT Relating to disclosure of health-related information with persons with a close relationship with a patient; amending RCW 70.02.010, 70.02.050, and 70.02.230; reenacting and amending RCW 70.02.010 and 70.02.230; adding a new section to chapter 70.02 RCW; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 70.02 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a) A health care provider may use or disclose protected health information of an individual without obtaining an authorization from the individual or the individual's personal representative if the conditions in (b) of this subsection are met and:

(i) The disclosure is to a family member, other relative, a close personal friend, or other person identified by the individual, and the protected health information is directly relevant to the person's involvement with the individual's health care; or

(ii) The disclosure is for the purpose of notifying a family member, a personal representative of the individual, or another person responsible for the care of the individual or the individual's location, general condition, or death.

(b) A health care provider may make the disclosures described in (a) of this subsection if:

(i) The individual is not present or obtaining the individual's authorization is not practicable due to the individual's incapacity or an emergency circumstance, and in the exercise of professional judgment and based on reasonable inferences, the health care provider determines that the disclosure is in the best interests of the individual; or

(ii) The individual is present and the health care provider gives the individual an opportunity to object to the disclosure, and the individual does not express an objection, or the health care provider reasonably infers from the circumstances, based on the exercise of professional judgment, that the individual does not object to the disclosure.

(2) With respect to an individual who is being treated for a mental illness, the protected health information disclosed under this section may include, to the extent consistent with the health care provider's professional judgment and standards of ethical conduct:

(a) The individual's diagnoses and the treatment recommendations;

(b) Issues concerning the safety of the individual, including risk factors for suicide, steps that can be taken to make the individual's home safer, and a safety plan to monitor and support the individual;

(c) Information about resources that are available in the community to help the individual, such as case management and support groups; and

(d) The process to ensure that the individual safely transitions to a higher or lower level of care, including an interim safety plan.

(3) Any disclosure of protected health information under this section must be limited to the minimum necessary to accomplish the purpose of the disclosure.

(4) A health care provider is not subject to any civil liability for making a disclosure in accordance with this section.

Sec. 2.  RCW 70.02.010 and 2014 c 225 s 70 and 2014 c 220 s 4 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Admission" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(2) "Audit" means an assessment, evaluation, determination, or investigation of a health care provider by a person not employed by or affiliated with the provider to determine compliance with:

(a) Statutory, regulatory, fiscal, medical, or scientific standards;

(b) A private or public program of payments to a health care provider; or

(c) Requirements for licensing, accreditation, or certification.

(3) "Commitment" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(4) "Custody" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(5) "Deidentified" means health information that does not identify an individual and with respect to which there is no reasonable basis to believe that the information can be used to identify an individual.

(6) "Department" means the department of social and health services.

(7) "Designated mental health professional" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020 or 71.34.020, as applicable.

(8) "Detention" or "detain" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(9) "Directory information" means information disclosing the presence, and for the purpose of identification, the name, location within a health care facility, and the general health condition of a particular patient who is a patient in a health care facility or who is currently receiving emergency health care in a health care facility.

(10) "Discharge" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(11) "Evaluation and treatment facility" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020 or 71.34.020, as applicable.

(12) "Federal, state, or local law enforcement authorities" means an officer of any agency or authority in the United States, a state, a tribe, a territory, or a political subdivision of a state, a tribe, or a territory who is empowered by law to: (a) Investigate or conduct an official inquiry into a potential criminal violation of law; or (b) prosecute or otherwise conduct a criminal proceeding arising from an alleged violation of law.

(13) "General health condition" means the patient's health status described in terms of "critical," "poor," "fair," "good," "excellent," or terms denoting similar conditions.

(14) "Health care" means any care, service, or procedure provided by a health care provider:

(a) To diagnose, treat, or maintain a patient's physical or mental condition; or

(b) That affects the structure or any function of the human body.

(15) "Health care facility" means a hospital, clinic, nursing home, laboratory, office, or similar place where a health care provider provides health care to patients.

(16) "Health care information" means any information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium, that identifies or can readily be associated with the identity of a patient and directly relates to the patient's health care, including a patient's deoxyribonucleic acid and identified sequence of chemical base pairs. The term includes any required accounting of disclosures of health care information.

(17) "Health care operations" means any of the following activities of a health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor to the extent that the activities are related to functions that make an entity a health care provider, a health care facility, or a third-party payor:

(a) Conducting: Quality assessment and improvement activities, including outcomes evaluation and development of clinical guidelines, if the obtaining of generalizable knowledge is not the primary purpose of any studies resulting from such activities; population-based activities relating to improving health or reducing health care costs, protocol development, case management and care coordination, contacting of health care providers and patients with information about treatment alternatives; and related functions that do not include treatment;

(b) Reviewing the competence or qualifications of health care professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance and third-party payor performance, conducting training programs in which students, trainees, or practitioners in areas of health care learn under supervision to practice or improve their skills as health care providers, training of nonhealth care professionals, accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities;

(c) Underwriting, premium rating, and other activities relating to the creation, renewal, or replacement of a contract of health insurance or health benefits, and ceding, securing, or placing a contract for reinsurance of risk relating to claims for health care, including stop-loss insurance and excess of loss insurance, if any applicable legal requirements are met;

(d) Conducting or arranging for medical review, legal services, and auditing functions, including fraud and abuse detection and compliance programs;

(e) Business planning and development, such as conducting cost-management and planning-related analyses related to managing and operating the health care facility or third-party payor, including formulary development and administration, development, or improvement of methods of payment or coverage policies; and

(f) Business management and general administrative activities of the health care facility, health care provider, or third-party payor including, but not limited to:

(i) Management activities relating to implementation of and compliance with the requirements of this chapter;

(ii) Customer service, including the provision of data analyses for policy holders, plan sponsors, or other customers, provided that health care information is not disclosed to such policy holder, plan sponsor, or customer;

(iii) Resolution of internal grievances;

(iv) The sale, transfer, merger, or consolidation of all or part of a health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor with another health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor or an entity that following such activity will become a health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor, and due diligence related to such activity; and

(v) Consistent with applicable legal requirements, creating deidentified health care information or a limited dataset for the benefit of the health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor.

(18) "Health care provider" means a person who is licensed, certified, registered, or otherwise authorized by the law of this state to provide health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a profession.

(19) "Human immunodeficiency virus" or "HIV" has the same meaning as in RCW 70.24.017.

(20) "Imminent" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(21) "Information and records related to mental health services" means a type of health care information that relates to all information and records compiled, obtained, or maintained in the course of providing services by a mental health service agency or mental health professional to persons who are receiving or have received services for mental illness. The term includes mental health information contained in a medical bill, registration records, as defined in RCW 71.05.020, and all other records regarding the person maintained by the department, by regional support networks and their staff, and by treatment facilities. The term further includes documents of legal proceedings under chapter 71.05, 71.34, or 10.77 RCW, or somatic health care information. For health care information maintained by a hospital as defined in RCW 70.41.020 or a health care facility or health care provider that participates with a hospital in an organized health care arrangement defined under federal law, "information and records related to mental health services" is limited to information and records of services provided by a mental health professional or information and records of services created by a hospital-operated ((community mental)) behavioral health program as defined in RCW 71.24.025(((6))). The term does not include psychotherapy notes.

(22) "Information and records related to sexually transmitted diseases" means a type of health care information that relates to the identity of any person upon whom an HIV antibody test or other sexually transmitted infection test is performed, the results of such tests, and any information relating to diagnosis of or treatment for any confirmed sexually transmitted infections.

(23) "Institutional review board" means any board, committee, or other group formally designated by an institution, or authorized under federal or state law, to review, approve the initiation of, or conduct periodic review of research programs to assure the protection of the rights and welfare of human research subjects.

(24) "Legal counsel" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(25) "Local public health officer" has the same meaning as in RCW 70.24.017.

(26) "Maintain," as related to health care information, means to hold, possess, preserve, retain, store, or control that information.

(27) "Mental health professional" means a psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner, psychiatric nurse, or social worker, and such other mental health professionals as may be defined by rules adopted by the secretary of social and health services under chapter 71.05 RCW, whether that person works in a private or public setting.

(28) "Mental health service agency" means a public or private agency that provides services to persons with mental disorders as defined under RCW 71.05.020 or 71.34.020 and receives funding from public sources. This includes evaluation and treatment facilities as defined in RCW 71.34.020, community mental health service delivery systems, or community mental health programs, as defined in RCW 71.24.025, and facilities conducting competency evaluations and restoration under chapter 10.77 RCW.

(29) "Minor" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.34.020.

(30) "Parent" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.34.020.

(31) "Patient" means an individual who receives or has received health care. The term includes a deceased individual who has received health care.

(32) "Payment" means:

(a) The activities undertaken by:

(i) A third-party payor to obtain premiums or to determine or fulfill its responsibility for coverage and provision of benefits by the third-party payor; or

(ii) A health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor, to obtain or provide reimbursement for the provision of health care; and

(b) The activities in (a) of this subsection that relate to the patient to whom health care is provided and that include, but are not limited to:

(i) Determinations of eligibility or coverage, including coordination of benefits or the determination of cost-sharing amounts, and adjudication or subrogation of health benefit claims;

(ii) Risk adjusting amounts due based on enrollee health status and demographic characteristics;

(iii) Billing, claims management, collection activities, obtaining payment under a contract for reinsurance, including stop-loss insurance and excess of loss insurance, and related health care data processing;

(iv) Review of health care services with respect to medical necessity, coverage under a health plan, appropriateness of care, or justification of charges;

(v) Utilization review activities, including precertification and preauthorization of services, and concurrent and retrospective review of services; and

(vi) Disclosure to consumer reporting agencies of any of the following health care information relating to collection of premiums or reimbursement:

(A) Name and address;

(B) Date of birth;

(C) Social security number;

(D) Payment history;

(E) Account number; and

(F) Name and address of the health care provider, health care facility, and/or third-party payor.

(33) "Person" means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, joint venture, government, governmental subdivision or agency, or any other legal or commercial entity.

(34) "Professional person" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(35) "Psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(36) "Psychotherapy notes" means notes recorded, in any medium, by a mental health professional documenting or analyzing the contents of conversations during a private counseling session or group, joint, or family counseling session, and that are separated from the rest of the individual's medical record. The term excludes mediation prescription and monitoring, counseling session start and stop times, the modalities and frequencies of treatment furnished, results of clinical tests, and any summary of the following items: Diagnosis, functional status, the treatment plan, symptoms, prognosis, and progress to date.

(37) "Reasonable fee" means the charges for duplicating or searching the record, but shall not exceed sixty-five cents per page for the first thirty pages and fifty cents per page for all other pages. In addition, a clerical fee for searching and handling may be charged not to exceed fifteen dollars. These amounts shall be adjusted biennially in accordance with changes in the consumer price index, all consumers, for Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan statistical area as determined by the secretary of health. However, where editing of records by a health care provider is required by statute and is done by the provider personally, the fee may be the usual and customary charge for a basic office visit.

(38) "Release" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(39) "Resource management services" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(40) "Serious and urgent threat" means a substantial risk of impending physical harm that requires immediate action or attention.

(41) "Serious violent offense" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(((41))) (42) "Sexually transmitted infection" or "sexually transmitted disease" has the same meaning as "sexually transmitted disease" in RCW 70.24.017.

(((42))) (43) "Test for a sexually transmitted disease" has the same meaning as in RCW 70.24.017.

(((43))) (44) "Third-party payor" means an insurer regulated under Title 48 RCW authorized to transact business in this state or other jurisdiction, including a health care service contractor, and health maintenance organization; or an employee welfare benefit plan, excluding fitness or wellness plans; or a state or federal health benefit program.

(((44))) (45) "Treatment" means the provision, coordination, or management of health care and related services by one or more health care providers or health care facilities, including the coordination or management of health care by a health care provider or health care facility with a third party; consultation between health care providers or health care facilities relating to a patient; or the referral of a patient for health care from one health care provider or health care facility to another.

Sec. 3.  RCW 70.02.010 and 2016 sp.s. c 29 s 416 are each amended to read as follows:

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Admission" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(2) "Audit" means an assessment, evaluation, determination, or investigation of a health care provider by a person not employed by or affiliated with the provider to determine compliance with:

(a) Statutory, regulatory, fiscal, medical, or scientific standards;

(b) A private or public program of payments to a health care provider; or

(c) Requirements for licensing, accreditation, or certification.

(3) "Commitment" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(4) "Custody" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(5) "Deidentified" means health information that does not identify an individual and with respect to which there is no reasonable basis to believe that the information can be used to identify an individual.

(6) "Department" means the department of social and health services.

(7) "Designated crisis responder" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020 or 71.34.020, as applicable.

(8) "Detention" or "detain" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(9) "Directory information" means information disclosing the presence, and for the purpose of identification, the name, location within a health care facility, and the general health condition of a particular patient who is a patient in a health care facility or who is currently receiving emergency health care in a health care facility.

(10) "Discharge" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(11) "Evaluation and treatment facility" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020 or 71.34.020, as applicable.

(12) "Federal, state, or local law enforcement authorities" means an officer of any agency or authority in the United States, a state, a tribe, a territory, or a political subdivision of a state, a tribe, or a territory who is empowered by law to: (a) Investigate or conduct an official inquiry into a potential criminal violation of law; or (b) prosecute or otherwise conduct a criminal proceeding arising from an alleged violation of law.

(13) "General health condition" means the patient's health status described in terms of "critical," "poor," "fair," "good," "excellent," or terms denoting similar conditions.

(14) "Health care" means any care, service, or procedure provided by a health care provider:

(a) To diagnose, treat, or maintain a patient's physical or mental condition; or

(b) That affects the structure or any function of the human body.

(15) "Health care facility" means a hospital, clinic, nursing home, laboratory, office, or similar place where a health care provider provides health care to patients.

(16) "Health care information" means any information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium, that identifies or can readily be associated with the identity of a patient and directly relates to the patient's health care, including a patient's deoxyribonucleic acid and identified sequence of chemical base pairs. The term includes any required accounting of disclosures of health care information.

(17) "Health care operations" means any of the following activities of a health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor to the extent that the activities are related to functions that make an entity a health care provider, a health care facility, or a third-party payor:

(a) Conducting: Quality assessment and improvement activities, including outcomes evaluation and development of clinical guidelines, if the obtaining of generalizable knowledge is not the primary purpose of any studies resulting from such activities; population-based activities relating to improving health or reducing health care costs, protocol development, case management and care coordination, contacting of health care providers and patients with information about treatment alternatives; and related functions that do not include treatment;

(b) Reviewing the competence or qualifications of health care professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance and third-party payor performance, conducting training programs in which students, trainees, or practitioners in areas of health care learn under supervision to practice or improve their skills as health care providers, training of nonhealth care professionals, accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities;

(c) Underwriting, premium rating, and other activities relating to the creation, renewal, or replacement of a contract of health insurance or health benefits, and ceding, securing, or placing a contract for reinsurance of risk relating to claims for health care, including stop-loss insurance and excess of loss insurance, if any applicable legal requirements are met;

(d) Conducting or arranging for medical review, legal services, and auditing functions, including fraud and abuse detection and compliance programs;

(e) Business planning and development, such as conducting cost-management and planning-related analyses related to managing and operating the health care facility or third-party payor, including formulary development and administration, development, or improvement of methods of payment or coverage policies; and

(f) Business management and general administrative activities of the health care facility, health care provider, or third-party payor including, but not limited to:

(i) Management activities relating to implementation of and compliance with the requirements of this chapter;

(ii) Customer service, including the provision of data analyses for policy holders, plan sponsors, or other customers, provided that health care information is not disclosed to such policy holder, plan sponsor, or customer;

(iii) Resolution of internal grievances;

(iv) The sale, transfer, merger, or consolidation of all or part of a health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor with another health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor or an entity that following such activity will become a health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor, and due diligence related to such activity; and

(v) Consistent with applicable legal requirements, creating deidentified health care information or a limited dataset for the benefit of the health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor.

(18) "Health care provider" means a person who is licensed, certified, registered, or otherwise authorized by the law of this state to provide health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a profession.

(19) "Human immunodeficiency virus" or "HIV" has the same meaning as in RCW 70.24.017.

(20) "Imminent" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(21) "Information and records related to mental health services" means a type of health care information that relates to all information and records compiled, obtained, or maintained in the course of providing services by a mental health service agency or mental health professional to persons who are receiving or have received services for mental illness. The term includes mental health information contained in a medical bill, registration records, as defined in RCW 71.05.020, and all other records regarding the person maintained by the department, by regional support networks and their staff, and by treatment facilities. The term further includes documents of legal proceedings under chapter 71.05, 71.34, or 10.77 RCW, or somatic health care information. For health care information maintained by a hospital as defined in RCW 70.41.020 or a health care facility or health care provider that participates with a hospital in an organized health care arrangement defined under federal law, "information and records related to mental health services" is limited to information and records of services provided by a mental health professional or information and records of services created by a hospital-operated behavioral health program as defined in RCW 71.24.025. The term does not include psychotherapy notes.

(22) "Information and records related to sexually transmitted diseases" means a type of health care information that relates to the identity of any person upon whom an HIV antibody test or other sexually transmitted infection test is performed, the results of such tests, and any information relating to diagnosis of or treatment for any confirmed sexually transmitted infections.

(23) "Institutional review board" means any board, committee, or other group formally designated by an institution, or authorized under federal or state law, to review, approve the initiation of, or conduct periodic review of research programs to assure the protection of the rights and welfare of human research subjects.

(24) "Legal counsel" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(25) "Local public health officer" has the same meaning as in RCW 70.24.017.

(26) "Maintain," as related to health care information, means to hold, possess, preserve, retain, store, or control that information.

(27) "Mental health professional" means a psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner, psychiatric nurse, or social worker, and such other mental health professionals as may be defined by rules adopted by the secretary of social and health services under chapter 71.05 RCW, whether that person works in a private or public setting.

(28) "Mental health service agency" means a public or private agency that provides services to persons with mental disorders as defined under RCW 71.05.020 or 71.34.020 and receives funding from public sources. This includes evaluation and treatment facilities as defined in RCW 71.34.020, community mental health service delivery systems, or behavioral health programs, as defined in RCW 71.24.025, and facilities conducting competency evaluations and restoration under chapter 10.77 RCW.

(29) "Minor" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.34.020.

(30) "Parent" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.34.020.

(31) "Patient" means an individual who receives or has received health care. The term includes a deceased individual who has received health care.

(32) "Payment" means:

(a) The activities undertaken by:

(i) A third-party payor to obtain premiums or to determine or fulfill its responsibility for coverage and provision of benefits by the third-party payor; or

(ii) A health care provider, health care facility, or third-party payor, to obtain or provide reimbursement for the provision of health care; and

(b) The activities in (a) of this subsection that relate to the patient to whom health care is provided and that include, but are not limited to:

(i) Determinations of eligibility or coverage, including coordination of benefits or the determination of cost-sharing amounts, and adjudication or subrogation of health benefit claims;

(ii) Risk adjusting amounts due based on enrollee health status and demographic characteristics;

(iii) Billing, claims management, collection activities, obtaining payment under a contract for reinsurance, including stop-loss insurance and excess of loss insurance, and related health care data processing;

(iv) Review of health care services with respect to medical necessity, coverage under a health plan, appropriateness of care, or justification of charges;

(v) Utilization review activities, including precertification and preauthorization of services, and concurrent and retrospective review of services; and

(vi) Disclosure to consumer reporting agencies of any of the following health care information relating to collection of premiums or reimbursement:

(A) Name and address;

(B) Date of birth;

(C) Social security number;

(D) Payment history;

(E) Account number; and

(F) Name and address of the health care provider, health care facility, and/or third-party payor.

(33) "Person" means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, joint venture, government, governmental subdivision or agency, or any other legal or commercial entity.

(34) "Professional person" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(35) "Psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(36) "Psychotherapy notes" means notes recorded, in any medium, by a mental health professional documenting or analyzing the contents of conversations during a private counseling session or group, joint, or family counseling session, and that are separated from the rest of the individual's medical record. The term excludes mediation prescription and monitoring, counseling session start and stop times, the modalities and frequencies of treatment furnished, results of clinical tests, and any summary of the following items: Diagnosis, functional status, the treatment plan, symptoms, prognosis, and progress to date.

(37) "Reasonable fee" means the charges for duplicating or searching the record, but shall not exceed sixty-five cents per page for the first thirty pages and fifty cents per page for all other pages. In addition, a clerical fee for searching and handling may be charged not to exceed fifteen dollars. These amounts shall be adjusted biennially in accordance with changes in the consumer price index, all consumers, for Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan statistical area as determined by the secretary of health. However, where editing of records by a health care provider is required by statute and is done by the provider personally, the fee may be the usual and customary charge for a basic office visit.

(38) "Release" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(39) "Resource management services" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(40) "Serious and urgent threat" means a substantial risk of impending physical harm that requires immediate action or attention.

(41) "Serious violent offense" has the same meaning as in RCW 71.05.020.

(((41))) (42) "Sexually transmitted infection" or "sexually transmitted disease" has the same meaning as "sexually transmitted disease" in RCW 70.24.017.

(((42))) (43) "Test for a sexually transmitted disease" has the same meaning as in RCW 70.24.017.

(((43))) (44) "Third-party payor" means an insurer regulated under Title 48 RCW authorized to transact business in this state or other jurisdiction, including a health care service contractor, and health maintenance organization; or an employee welfare benefit plan, excluding fitness or wellness plans; or a state or federal health benefit program.

(((44))) (45) "Treatment" means the provision, coordination, or management of health care and related services by one or more health care providers or health care facilities, including the coordination or management of health care by a health care provider or health care facility with a third party; consultation between health care providers or health care facilities relating to a patient; or the referral of a patient for health care from one health care provider or health care facility to another.

Sec. 4.  RCW 70.02.050 and 2014 c 220 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A health care provider or health care facility may disclose health care information, except for information and records related to sexually transmitted diseases which are addressed in RCW 70.02.220, about a patient without the patient's authorization to the extent a recipient needs to know the information, if the disclosure is:

(a) To a person who the provider or facility reasonably believes is providing health care to the patient;

(b) To any other person who requires health care information for health care education, or to provide planning, quality assurance, peer review, or administrative, legal, financial, actuarial services to, or other health care operations for or on behalf of the health care provider or health care facility; or for assisting the health care provider or health care facility in the delivery of health care and the health care provider or health care facility reasonably believes that the person:

(i) Will not use or disclose the health care information for any other purpose; and

(ii) Will take appropriate steps to protect the health care information;

(c) To any person if the health care provider or health care facility reasonably believes that disclosure will avoid or minimize ((an imminent danger)) a serious and urgent threat to the health or safety of ((the patient or any other individual, however)) any person or the public, and the information is disclosed only to a person who is reasonably able to prevent or lessen the threat, including the target of the threat. There is no obligation under this chapter on the part of the provider or facility to so disclose((. The fact of admission to a provider for mental health services and all information and records compiled, obtained, or maintained in the course of providing mental health services to either voluntary or involuntary recipients of services at public or private agencies is not subject to disclosure unless disclosure is permitted in RCW 70.02.230; or));

(d) To any person if the conditions in section 1 of this act are met; or

(e) For payment, including information necessary for a recipient to make a claim, or for a claim to be made on behalf of a recipient for aid, insurance, or medical assistance to which he or she may be entitled.

(2) A health care provider shall disclose health care information, except for information and records related to sexually transmitted diseases, unless otherwise authorized in RCW 70.02.220, about a patient without the patient's authorization if the disclosure is:

(a) To federal, state, or local public health authorities, to the extent the health care provider is required by law to report health care information; when needed to determine compliance with state or federal licensure, certification or registration rules or laws, or to investigate unprofessional conduct or ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety under chapter 18.130 RCW. Any health care information obtained under this subsection is exempt from public inspection and copying pursuant to chapter 42.56 RCW; or

(b) When needed to protect the public health.

Sec. 5.  RCW 70.02.230 and 2014 c 225 s 71 and 2014 c 220 s 9 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) Except as provided in this section, RCW 70.02.050, 71.05.445, ((70.96A.150,)) 74.09.295, 70.02.210, 70.02.240, 70.02.250, and 70.02.260, or pursuant to a valid authorization under RCW 70.02.030, the fact of admission to a provider for mental health services and all information and records compiled, obtained, or maintained in the course of providing mental health services to either voluntary or involuntary recipients of services at public or private agencies must be confidential.

(2) Information and records related to mental health services, other than those obtained through treatment under chapter 71.34 RCW, may be disclosed only:

(a) In communications between qualified professional persons to meet the requirements of chapter 71.05 RCW, in the provision of services or appropriate referrals, or in the course of guardianship proceedings if provided to a professional person:

(i) Employed by the facility;

(ii) Who has medical responsibility for the patient's care;

(iii) Who is a designated mental health professional;

(iv) Who is providing services under chapter 71.24 RCW;

(v) Who is employed by a state or local correctional facility where the person is confined or supervised; or

(vi) Who is providing evaluation, treatment, or follow-up services under chapter 10.77 RCW;

(b) When the communications regard the special needs of a patient and the necessary circumstances giving rise to such needs and the disclosure is made by a facility providing services to the operator of a facility in which the patient resides or will reside;

(c)(i) When the person receiving services, or his or her guardian, designates persons to whom information or records may be released, or if the person is a minor, when his or her parents make such a designation;

(ii) A public or private agency shall release to a person's next of kin, attorney, personal representative, guardian, or conservator, if any:

(A) The information that the person is presently a patient in the facility or that the person is seriously physically ill;

(B) A statement evaluating the mental and physical condition of the patient, and a statement of the probable duration of the patient's confinement, if such information is requested by the next of kin, attorney, personal representative, guardian, or conservator; and

(iii) Other information requested by the next of kin or attorney as may be necessary to decide whether or not proceedings should be instituted to appoint a guardian or conservator;

(d)(i) To the courts as necessary to the administration of chapter 71.05 RCW or to a court ordering an evaluation or treatment under chapter 10.77 RCW solely for the purpose of preventing the entry of any evaluation or treatment order that is inconsistent with any order entered under chapter 71.05 RCW.

(ii) To a court or its designee in which a motion under chapter 10.77 RCW has been made for involuntary medication of a defendant for the purpose of competency restoration.

(iii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purpose of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act;

(e)(i) When a mental health professional is requested by a representative of a law enforcement or corrections agency, including a police officer, sheriff, community corrections officer, a municipal attorney, or prosecuting attorney to undertake an investigation or provide treatment under RCW 71.05.150, 10.31.110, or 71.05.153, the mental health professional shall, if requested to do so, advise the representative in writing of the results of the investigation including a statement of reasons for the decision to detain or release the person investigated. The written report must be submitted within seventy-two hours of the completion of the investigation or the request from the law enforcement or corrections representative, whichever occurs later.

(ii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purposes of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act;

(f) To the attorney of the detained person;

(g) To the prosecuting attorney as necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the office under RCW 71.05.330(2), 71.05.340(1)(b), and 71.05.335. The prosecutor must be provided access to records regarding the committed person's treatment and prognosis, medication, behavior problems, and other records relevant to the issue of whether treatment less restrictive than inpatient treatment is in the best interest of the committed person or others. Information must be disclosed only after giving notice to the committed person and the person's counsel;

(h)(i) To appropriate law enforcement agencies and to a person, when the identity of the person is known to the public or private agency, whose health and safety has been threatened, or who is known to have been repeatedly harassed, by the patient. The person may designate a representative to receive the disclosure. The disclosure must be made by the professional person in charge of the public or private agency or his or her designee and must include the dates of commitment, admission, discharge, or release, authorized or unauthorized absence from the agency's facility, and only any other information that is pertinent to the threat or harassment. The agency or its employees are not civilly liable for the decision to disclose or not, so long as the decision was reached in good faith and without gross negligence.

(ii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purposes of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act;

(i)(i) To appropriate corrections and law enforcement agencies all necessary and relevant information in the event of a crisis or emergent situation that poses a significant and imminent risk to the public. The mental health service agency or its employees are not civilly liable for the decision to disclose or not so long as the decision was reached in good faith and without gross negligence.

(ii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purposes of the health insurance portability and accountability act;

(j) To the persons designated in RCW 71.05.425 for the purposes described in those sections;

(k) Upon the death of a person. The person's next of kin, personal representative, guardian, or conservator, if any, must be notified. Next of kin who are of legal age and competent must be notified under this section in the following order: Spouse, parents, children, brothers and sisters, and other relatives according to the degree of relation. Access to all records and information compiled, obtained, or maintained in the course of providing services to a deceased patient are governed by RCW 70.02.140;

(l) To mark headstones or otherwise memorialize patients interred at state hospital cemeteries. The department of social and health services shall make available the name, date of birth, and date of death of patients buried in state hospital cemeteries fifty years after the death of a patient;

(m) To law enforcement officers and to prosecuting attorneys as are necessary to enforce RCW 9.41.040(2)(a)(((ii))) (iii). The extent of information that may be released is limited as follows:

(i) Only the fact, place, and date of involuntary commitment, an official copy of any order or orders of commitment, and an official copy of any written or oral notice of ineligibility to possess a firearm that was provided to the person pursuant to RCW 9.41.047(1), must be disclosed upon request;

(ii) The law enforcement and prosecuting attorneys may only release the information obtained to the person's attorney as required by court rule and to a jury or judge, if a jury is waived, that presides over any trial at which the person is charged with violating RCW 9.41.040(2)(a)(((ii))) (iii);

(iii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purposes of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act;

(n) When a patient would otherwise be subject to the provisions of this section and disclosure is necessary for the protection of the patient or others due to his or her unauthorized disappearance from the facility, and his or her whereabouts is unknown, notice of the disappearance, along with relevant information, may be made to relatives, the department of corrections when the person is under the supervision of the department, and governmental law enforcement agencies designated by the physician or psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner in charge of the patient or the professional person in charge of the facility, or his or her professional designee;

(o) Pursuant to lawful order of a court;

(p) To qualified staff members of the department, to the director of behavioral health organizations, to resource management services responsible for serving a patient, or to service providers designated by resource management services as necessary to determine the progress and adequacy of treatment and to determine whether the person should be transferred to a less restrictive or more appropriate treatment modality or facility;

(q) Within the mental health service agency where the patient is receiving treatment, confidential information may be disclosed to persons employed, serving in bona fide training programs, or participating in supervised volunteer programs, at the facility when it is necessary to perform their duties;

(r) Within the department as necessary to coordinate treatment for mental illness, developmental disabilities, alcoholism, or drug abuse of persons who are under the supervision of the department;

(s) To a licensed physician or psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner who has determined that the life or health of the person is in danger and that treatment without the information and records related to mental health services could be injurious to the patient's health. Disclosure must be limited to the portions of the records necessary to meet the medical emergency;

(t) Consistent with the requirements of the federal health information portability and accountability act, to a licensed mental health professional or a health care professional licensed under chapter 18.71, 18.71A, 18.57, 18.57A, 18.79, or 18.36A RCW who is providing care to a person, or to whom a person has been referred for evaluation or treatment, to assure coordinated care and treatment of that person. Psychotherapy notes may not be released without authorization of the person who is the subject of the request for release of information;

(u) To administrative and office support staff designated to obtain medical records for those licensed professionals listed in (t) of this subsection;

(v) To a facility that is to receive a person who is involuntarily committed under chapter 71.05 RCW, or upon transfer of the person from one evaluation and treatment facility to another. The release of records under this subsection is limited to the information and records related to mental health services required by law, a record or summary of all somatic treatments, and a discharge summary. The discharge summary may include a statement of the patient's problem, the treatment goals, the type of treatment which has been provided, and recommendation for future treatment, but may not include the patient's complete treatment record;

(w) To the person's counsel or guardian ad litem, without modification, at any time in order to prepare for involuntary commitment or recommitment proceedings, reexaminations, appeals, or other actions relating to detention, admission, commitment, or patient's rights under chapter 71.05 RCW;

(x) To staff members of the protection and advocacy agency or to staff members of a private, nonprofit corporation for the purpose of protecting and advocating the rights of persons with mental disorders or developmental disabilities. Resource management services may limit the release of information to the name, birthdate, and county of residence of the patient, information regarding whether the patient was voluntarily admitted, or involuntarily committed, the date and place of admission, placement, or commitment, the name and address of a guardian of the patient, and the date and place of the guardian's appointment. Any staff member who wishes to obtain additional information must notify the patient's resource management services in writing of the request and of the resource management services' right to object. The staff member shall send the notice by mail to the guardian's address. If the guardian does not object in writing within fifteen days after the notice is mailed, the staff member may obtain the additional information. If the guardian objects in writing within fifteen days after the notice is mailed, the staff member may not obtain the additional information;

(y) To all current treating providers of the patient with prescriptive authority who have written a prescription for the patient within the last twelve months. For purposes of coordinating health care, the department may release without written authorization of the patient, information acquired for billing and collection purposes as described in RCW 70.02.050(1)(d). The department shall notify the patient that billing and collection information has been released to named providers, and provide the substance of the information released and the dates of such release. The department may not release counseling, inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, or drug and alcohol treatment information without a signed written release from the client;

(z)(i) To the secretary of social and health services for either program evaluation or research, or both so long as the secretary adopts rules for the conduct of the evaluation or research, or both. Such rules must include, but need not be limited to, the requirement that all evaluators and researchers sign an oath of confidentiality substantially as follows:

"As a condition of conducting evaluation or research concerning persons who have received services from (fill in the facility, agency, or person) I, . . . . . ., agree not to divulge, publish, or otherwise make known to unauthorized persons or the public any information obtained in the course of such evaluation or research regarding persons who have received services such that the person who received such services is identifiable.

I recognize that unauthorized release of confidential information may subject me to civil liability under the provisions of state law.

/s/ . . . . . ."

(ii) Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prohibit the compilation and publication of statistical data for use by government or researchers under standards, including standards to assure maintenance of confidentiality, set forth by the secretary;

(aa) To any person if the conditions in section 1 of this act are met.

(3) Whenever federal law or federal regulations restrict the release of information contained in the information and records related to mental health services of any patient who receives treatment for chemical dependency, the department may restrict the release of the information as necessary to comply with federal law and regulations.

(4) Civil liability and immunity for the release of information about a particular person who is committed to the department of social and health services under RCW 71.05.280(3) and 71.05.320(((3))) (4)(c) after dismissal of a sex offense as defined in RCW 9.94A.030, is governed by RCW 4.24.550.

(5) The fact of admission to a provider of mental health services, as well as all records, files, evidence, findings, or orders made, prepared, collected, or maintained pursuant to chapter 71.05 RCW are not admissible as evidence in any legal proceeding outside that chapter without the written authorization of the person who was the subject of the proceeding except as provided in RCW 70.02.260, in a subsequent criminal prosecution of a person committed pursuant to RCW 71.05.280(3) or 71.05.320(((3))) (4)(c) on charges that were dismissed pursuant to chapter 10.77 RCW due to incompetency to stand trial, in a civil commitment proceeding pursuant to chapter 71.09 RCW, or, in the case of a minor, a guardianship or dependency proceeding. The records and files maintained in any court proceeding pursuant to chapter 71.05 RCW must be confidential and available subsequent to such proceedings only to the person who was the subject of the proceeding or his or her attorney. In addition, the court may order the subsequent release or use of such records or files only upon good cause shown if the court finds that appropriate safeguards for strict confidentiality are and will be maintained.

(6)(a) Except as provided in RCW 4.24.550, any person may bring an action against an individual who has willfully released confidential information or records concerning him or her in violation of the provisions of this section, for the greater of the following amounts:

(i) One thousand dollars; or

(ii) Three times the amount of actual damages sustained, if any.

(b) It is not a prerequisite to recovery under this subsection that the plaintiff suffered or was threatened with special, as contrasted with general, damages.

(c) Any person may bring an action to enjoin the release of confidential information or records concerning him or her or his or her ward, in violation of the provisions of this section, and may in the same action seek damages as provided in this subsection.

(d) The court may award to the plaintiff, should he or she prevail in any action authorized by this subsection, reasonable attorney fees in addition to those otherwise provided by law.

(e) If an action is brought under this subsection, no action may be brought under RCW 70.02.170.

Sec. 6.  RCW 70.02.230 and 2016 sp.s. c 29 s 417 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Except as provided in this section, RCW 70.02.050, 71.05.445, 74.09.295, 70.02.210, 70.02.240, 70.02.250, and 70.02.260, or pursuant to a valid authorization under RCW 70.02.030, the fact of admission to a provider for mental health services and all information and records compiled, obtained, or maintained in the course of providing mental health services to either voluntary or involuntary recipients of services at public or private agencies must be confidential.

(2) Information and records related to mental health services, other than those obtained through treatment under chapter 71.34 RCW, may be disclosed only:

(a) In communications between qualified professional persons to meet the requirements of chapter 71.05 RCW, in the provision of services or appropriate referrals, or in the course of guardianship proceedings if provided to a professional person:

(i) Employed by the facility;

(ii) Who has medical responsibility for the patient's care;

(iii) Who is a designated crisis responder;

(iv) Who is providing services under chapter 71.24 RCW;

(v) Who is employed by a state or local correctional facility where the person is confined or supervised; or

(vi) Who is providing evaluation, treatment, or follow-up services under chapter 10.77 RCW;

(b) When the communications regard the special needs of a patient and the necessary circumstances giving rise to such needs and the disclosure is made by a facility providing services to the operator of a facility in which the patient resides or will reside;

(c)(i) When the person receiving services, or his or her guardian, designates persons to whom information or records may be released, or if the person is a minor, when his or her parents make such a designation;

(ii) A public or private agency shall release to a person's next of kin, attorney, personal representative, guardian, or conservator, if any:

(A) The information that the person is presently a patient in the facility or that the person is seriously physically ill;

(B) A statement evaluating the mental and physical condition of the patient, and a statement of the probable duration of the patient's confinement, if such information is requested by the next of kin, attorney, personal representative, guardian, or conservator; and

(iii) Other information requested by the next of kin or attorney as may be necessary to decide whether or not proceedings should be instituted to appoint a guardian or conservator;

(d)(i) To the courts as necessary to the administration of chapter 71.05 RCW or to a court ordering an evaluation or treatment under chapter 10.77 RCW solely for the purpose of preventing the entry of any evaluation or treatment order that is inconsistent with any order entered under chapter 71.05 RCW.

(ii) To a court or its designee in which a motion under chapter 10.77 RCW has been made for involuntary medication of a defendant for the purpose of competency restoration.

(iii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purpose of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act;

(e)(i) When a mental health professional or designated crisis responder is requested by a representative of a law enforcement or corrections agency, including a police officer, sheriff, community corrections officer, a municipal attorney, or prosecuting attorney to undertake an investigation or provide treatment under RCW 71.05.150, 10.31.110, or 71.05.153, the mental health professional or designated crisis responder shall, if requested to do so, advise the representative in writing of the results of the investigation including a statement of reasons for the decision to detain or release the person investigated. The written report must be submitted within seventy-two hours of the completion of the investigation or the request from the law enforcement or corrections representative, whichever occurs later.

(ii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purposes of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act;

(f) To the attorney of the detained person;

(g) To the prosecuting attorney as necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the office under RCW 71.05.330(2), 71.05.340(1)(b), and 71.05.335. The prosecutor must be provided access to records regarding the committed person's treatment and prognosis, medication, behavior problems, and other records relevant to the issue of whether treatment less restrictive than inpatient treatment is in the best interest of the committed person or others. Information must be disclosed only after giving notice to the committed person and the person's counsel;

(h)(i) To appropriate law enforcement agencies and to a person, when the identity of the person is known to the public or private agency, whose health and safety has been threatened, or who is known to have been repeatedly harassed, by the patient. The person may designate a representative to receive the disclosure. The disclosure must be made by the professional person in charge of the public or private agency or his or her designee and must include the dates of commitment, admission, discharge, or release, authorized or unauthorized absence from the agency's facility, and only any other information that is pertinent to the threat or harassment. The agency or its employees are not civilly liable for the decision to disclose or not, so long as the decision was reached in good faith and without gross negligence.

(ii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purposes of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act;

(i)(i) To appropriate corrections and law enforcement agencies all necessary and relevant information in the event of a crisis or emergent situation that poses a significant and imminent risk to the public. The mental health service agency or its employees are not civilly liable for the decision to disclose or not so long as the decision was reached in good faith and without gross negligence.

(ii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purposes of the health insurance portability and accountability act;

(j) To the persons designated in RCW 71.05.425 for the purposes described in those sections;

(k) Upon the death of a person. The person's next of kin, personal representative, guardian, or conservator, if any, must be notified. Next of kin who are of legal age and competent must be notified under this section in the following order: Spouse, parents, children, brothers and sisters, and other relatives according to the degree of relation. Access to all records and information compiled, obtained, or maintained in the course of providing services to a deceased patient are governed by RCW 70.02.140;

(l) To mark headstones or otherwise memorialize patients interred at state hospital cemeteries. The department of social and health services shall make available the name, date of birth, and date of death of patients buried in state hospital cemeteries fifty years after the death of a patient;

(m) To law enforcement officers and to prosecuting attorneys as are necessary to enforce RCW 9.41.040(2)(a)(iii). The extent of information that may be released is limited as follows:

(i) Only the fact, place, and date of involuntary commitment, an official copy of any order or orders of commitment, and an official copy of any written or oral notice of ineligibility to possess a firearm that was provided to the person pursuant to RCW 9.41.047(1), must be disclosed upon request;

(ii) The law enforcement and prosecuting attorneys may only release the information obtained to the person's attorney as required by court rule and to a jury or judge, if a jury is waived, that presides over any trial at which the person is charged with violating RCW 9.41.040(2)(a)(iii);

(iii) Disclosure under this subsection is mandatory for the purposes of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act;

(n) When a patient would otherwise be subject to the provisions of this section and disclosure is necessary for the protection of the patient or others due to his or her unauthorized disappearance from the facility, and his or her whereabouts is unknown, notice of the disappearance, along with relevant information, may be made to relatives, the department of corrections when the person is under the supervision of the department, and governmental law enforcement agencies designated by the physician or psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner in charge of the patient or the professional person in charge of the facility, or his or her professional designee;

(o) Pursuant to lawful order of a court;

(p) To qualified staff members of the department, to the director of behavioral health organizations, to resource management services responsible for serving a patient, or to service providers designated by resource management services as necessary to determine the progress and adequacy of treatment and to determine whether the person should be transferred to a less restrictive or more appropriate treatment modality or facility;

(q) Within the mental health service agency where the patient is receiving treatment, confidential information may be disclosed to persons employed, serving in bona fide training programs, or participating in supervised volunteer programs, at the facility when it is necessary to perform their duties;

(r) Within the department as necessary to coordinate treatment for mental illness, developmental disabilities, alcoholism, or drug abuse of persons who are under the supervision of the department;

(s) To a licensed physician or psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner who has determined that the life or health of the person is in danger and that treatment without the information and records related to mental health services could be injurious to the patient's health. Disclosure must be limited to the portions of the records necessary to meet the medical emergency;

(t) Consistent with the requirements of the federal health information portability and accountability act, to a licensed mental health professional or a health care professional licensed under chapter 18.71, 18.71A, 18.57, 18.57A, 18.79, or 18.36A RCW who is providing care to a person, or to whom a person has been referred for evaluation or treatment, to assure coordinated care and treatment of that person. Psychotherapy notes may not be released without authorization of the person who is the subject of the request for release of information;

(u) To administrative and office support staff designated to obtain medical records for those licensed professionals listed in (t) of this subsection;

(v) To a facility that is to receive a person who is involuntarily committed under chapter 71.05 RCW, or upon transfer of the person from one evaluation and treatment facility to another. The release of records under this subsection is limited to the information and records related to mental health services required by law, a record or summary of all somatic treatments, and a discharge summary. The discharge summary may include a statement of the patient's problem, the treatment goals, the type of treatment which has been provided, and recommendation for future treatment, but may not include the patient's complete treatment record;

(w) To the person's counsel or guardian ad litem, without modification, at any time in order to prepare for involuntary commitment or recommitment proceedings, reexaminations, appeals, or other actions relating to detention, admission, commitment, or patient's rights under chapter 71.05 RCW;

(x) To staff members of the protection and advocacy agency or to staff members of a private, nonprofit corporation for the purpose of protecting and advocating the rights of persons with mental disorders or developmental disabilities. Resource management services may limit the release of information to the name, birthdate, and county of residence of the patient, information regarding whether the patient was voluntarily admitted, or involuntarily committed, the date and place of admission, placement, or commitment, the name and address of a guardian of the patient, and the date and place of the guardian's appointment. Any staff member who wishes to obtain additional information must notify the patient's resource management services in writing of the request and of the resource management services' right to object. The staff member shall send the notice by mail to the guardian's address. If the guardian does not object in writing within fifteen days after the notice is mailed, the staff member may obtain the additional information. If the guardian objects in writing within fifteen days after the notice is mailed, the staff member may not obtain the additional information;

(y) To all current treating providers of the patient with prescriptive authority who have written a prescription for the patient within the last twelve months. For purposes of coordinating health care, the department may release without written authorization of the patient, information acquired for billing and collection purposes as described in RCW 70.02.050(1)(d). The department shall notify the patient that billing and collection information has been released to named providers, and provide the substance of the information released and the dates of such release. The department may not release counseling, inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, or drug and alcohol treatment information without a signed written release from the client;

(z)(i) To the secretary of social and health services for either program evaluation or research, or both so long as the secretary adopts rules for the conduct of the evaluation or research, or both. Such rules must include, but need not be limited to, the requirement that all evaluators and researchers sign an oath of confidentiality substantially as follows:

"As a condition of conducting evaluation or research concerning persons who have received services from (fill in the facility, agency, or person) I, . . . . . ., agree not to divulge, publish, or otherwise make known to unauthorized persons or the public any information obtained in the course of such evaluation or research regarding persons who have received services such that the person who received such services is identifiable.

I recognize that unauthorized release of confidential information may subject me to civil liability under the provisions of state law.

/s/ . . . . . ."

(ii) Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prohibit the compilation and publication of statistical data for use by government or researchers under standards, including standards to assure maintenance of confidentiality, set forth by the secretary;

(aa) To any person if the conditions in section 1 of this act are met.

(3) Whenever federal law or federal regulations restrict the release of information contained in the information and records related to mental health services of any patient who receives treatment for chemical dependency, the department may restrict the release of the information as necessary to comply with federal law and regulations.

(4) Civil liability and immunity for the release of information about a particular person who is committed to the department of social and health services under RCW 71.05.280(3) and 71.05.320(4)(c) after dismissal of a sex offense as defined in RCW 9.94A.030, is governed by RCW 4.24.550.

(5) The fact of admission to a provider of mental health services, as well as all records, files, evidence, findings, or orders made, prepared, collected, or maintained pursuant to chapter 71.05 RCW are not admissible as evidence in any legal proceeding outside that chapter without the written authorization of the person who was the subject of the proceeding except as provided in RCW 70.02.260, in a subsequent criminal prosecution of a person committed pursuant to RCW 71.05.280(3) or 71.05.320(4)(c) on charges that were dismissed pursuant to chapter 10.77 RCW due to incompetency to stand trial, in a civil commitment proceeding pursuant to chapter 71.09 RCW, or, in the case of a minor, a guardianship or dependency proceeding. The records and files maintained in any court proceeding pursuant to chapter 71.05 RCW must be confidential and available subsequent to such proceedings only to the person who was the subject of the proceeding or his or her attorney. In addition, the court may order the subsequent release or use of such records or files only upon good cause shown if the court finds that appropriate safeguards for strict confidentiality are and will be maintained.

(6)(a) Except as provided in RCW 4.24.550, any person may bring an action against an individual who has willfully released confidential information or records concerning him or her in violation of the provisions of this section, for the greater of the following amounts:

(i) One thousand dollars; or

(ii) Three times the amount of actual damages sustained, if any.

(b) It is not a prerequisite to recovery under this subsection that the plaintiff suffered or was threatened with special, as contrasted with general, damages.

(c) Any person may bring an action to enjoin the release of confidential information or records concerning him or her or his or her ward, in violation of the provisions of this section, and may in the same action seek damages as provided in this subsection.

(d) The court may award to the plaintiff, should he or she prevail in any action authorized by this subsection, reasonable attorney fees in addition to those otherwise provided by law.

(e) If an action is brought under this subsection, no action may be brought under RCW 70.02.170.

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