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 responsible for the health information exchange will also serve the additional function of a health data utility, which is defined 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 updated to incorporate this new designation and clarify the roles and responsibilities of health care providers, institutions, and data utilities in handling 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. Additionally, it allows for disclosures to entities outside the state, ensuring that the framework for electronic medical records remains robust and adaptable to evolving health care needs.

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