The bill amends the Medical Records Access Act by updating definitions and clarifying the rights of patients and their authorized representatives regarding access to medical records. Key changes include the definition of "authorized representative," which now explicitly includes individuals empowered by the patient through written authorization, as well as personal representatives and heirs in the case of deceased patients. The bill also revises the term "Detroit consumer price index" to "Consumer Price Index" and specifies that the index should be for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area, as provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, the language has been updated to replace gender-specific terms with gender-neutral alternatives, such as changing "his or her" to "the individual's."

Furthermore, the bill outlines the procedures for patients or their authorized representatives to request access to medical records, including the requirement for a written request and the timeline for health care providers or facilities to respond. It mandates that providers must inform the requester if the medical record does not exist or cannot be found and allows for the denial of access to records obtained under confidentiality agreements if revealing them would disclose the source of the information. The bill also emphasizes that health care providers must not restrict the ability of parents or guardians to access medical records for minors, ensuring that access rights are maintained.

Statutes affected:
House Introduced Bill: 333.26263, 333.26265