Bill Text: NY S06891 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to requiring the transfer of medical records within sixty days of written request.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO HEALTH [S06891 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S06891-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6891

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    December 6, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT to amend the public health law and the education law, in relation
          to requiring the transfer of medical  records  within  sixty  days  of
          written request

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The first undesignated  paragraph  of  section  17  of  the
     2  public  health  law,  as  amended by chapter 322 of the laws of 2017, is
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    Upon the written request of any competent patient, parent or  guardian
     5  of an infant, a guardian appointed pursuant to article eighty-one of the
     6  mental  hygiene  law,  or  conservator  of  a conservatee, an examining,
     7  consulting or treating physician or hospital must, within sixty calendar
     8  days, release and deliver, exclusive  of  personal  notes  of  the  said
     9  physician  or  hospital,  copies of all x-rays, medical records and test
    10  records including all laboratory tests regarding  that  patient  to  any
    11  other  designated  physician  or  hospital  provided, however, that such
    12  records concerning the treatment  of  an  infant  patient  for  venereal
    13  disease  or  the  performance  of an abortion operation upon such infant
    14  patient shall not be released or in any manner be made available to  the
    15  parent  or guardian of such infant, and provided, further, that original
    16  mammograms, rather than copies thereof, shall be released and delivered.
    17  Either the physician or hospital  incurring  the  expense  of  providing
    18  copies of x-rays, medical records and test records including all labora-
    19  tory  tests  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of this section may impose a
    20  reasonable charge to be paid by the person requesting  the  release  and
    21  deliverance   of  such  records  as  reimbursement  for  such  expenses,
    22  provided, however, that the physician  or  hospital  may  not  impose  a
    23  charge  for  copying  an  original  mammogram when the original has been
    24  released or delivered to any competent patient, parent or guardian of an

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14323-01-9
        S. 6891                             2

     1  infant, a guardian appointed  pursuant  to  article  eighty-one  of  the
     2  mental  hygiene  law,  or  a  conservator of a conservatee and provided,
     3  further, that any charge for delivering an original  mammogram  pursuant
     4  to  this section shall not exceed the documented costs associated there-
     5  with. However, the reasonable charge for paper copies shall  not  exceed
     6  seventy-five  cents  per  page.  A release of records under this section
     7  shall not be denied solely because of inability to pay. No charge may be
     8  imposed under this  section  for  providing,  releasing,  or  delivering
     9  medical  records  or  copies  of medical records where requested for the
    10  purpose of supporting an application, claim or appeal for any government
    11  benefit or program, provided that, where a  provider  maintains  medical
    12  records  in  electronic  form, it shall provide the copy in either elec-
    13  tronic or paper form, as required by the government benefit or  program,
    14  or at the patient's request.
    15    §  2.  Section  6530  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
    16  subdivision 51 to read as follows:
    17    51. Failing to release and deliver copies of x-rays,  medical  records
    18  and  test records within sixty calendar days of written request pursuant
    19  to section seventeen of the public health law.
    20    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.