The bill amends the Electronic Medical Records Act to designate the state's health information exchange as the state's health data utility. This change is reflected in the new legal language that states, "The entity designated as the state's health information exchange shall also function as the state's health data utility." Additionally, the bill introduces a definition for "health data utility," which is described as an entity that combines and shares disparate electronic health care information sets for various purposes, including treatment and public health services.

Several sections of the existing law are amended to incorporate this new designation and to clarify the roles and responsibilities of health care providers, institutions, and data utilities in the use and disclosure of electronic health care information. Notably, the bill emphasizes the importance of consent for disclosing health care information and outlines the liability protections for entities that comply with requests to exclude individual information from record locator services. Overall, the bill aims to enhance the functionality and integration of health data management within the state's health care system.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 24-14B-1, 24-14B-3, 24-14B-6, 24-14B-7, 24-14B-8, 24-14B-10