2021 -- S 0062 SUBSTITUTE A | |
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LC000744/SUB A | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- CONFIDENTIALITY OF HEALTH | |
CARE COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ACT | |
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Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Valverde, DiMario, Mendes, and Miller | |
Date Introduced: January 19, 2021 | |
Referred To: Senate Health & Human Services | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Chapter 5-37.3 of the General Laws entitled "Confidentiality of Health Care |
2 | Communications and Information Act" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: |
3 | 5-37.3-12. Right to confidential communication of medical information. |
4 | (a) As used in this section: |
5 | (1) “Confidential communications request” means a request by an insured individual |
6 | covered under a health insurance policy that insurance communications containing medical |
7 | information be communicated to him or her at a specific mail or email address or specific telephone |
8 | number, as designated by the insured individual. |
9 | (2) “Health insurer” shall have the same meaning as “managed-care entity” as defined in § |
10 | 5-37.3-3 |
11 | (3) “Health care provider” shall have the same meaning as set forth in § 5-37.3-3. |
12 | (4) "Insured individual" means a covered individual under the policy and legally capable |
13 | of consenting to the provisions of covered benefits. |
14 | (5) “Medical information” means any individually identifiable information, in electronic |
15 | or physical form, in possession of or derived from a health care provider, health insurer, |
16 | pharmaceutical company, or contractor regarding a patient’s medical history, mental or physical |
17 | condition, or treatment. “Individually identifiable” means that the medical information includes or |
18 | contains any element of personal identifying information sufficient to allow identification of the |
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1 | individual, such as the patient’s name, address, electronic mail address, telephone number, or social |
2 | security number, or other information that, alone or in combination with other publicly available |
3 | information, reveals the individual’s identity. |
4 | (b) Notwithstanding any other law, and to the extent permitted by federal law, a health |
5 | insurer shall take the following steps to protect the confidentiality of an insured individual's medical |
6 | information on and after January 1, 2022: |
7 | (1) A health insurer shall permit an insured individual to submit a confidential |
8 | communications request form as described in subsection (e) of this section. A health insurer shall |
9 | accommodate requests for communication in the form and format requested by the insured |
10 | individual, if it is readily producible in the requested form and format. A health insurer shall permit |
11 | that communications containing medical information be communicated to the insured individual at |
12 | a specific mail or email address or specific telephone number, as designated by the insured |
13 | individual. |
14 | (2) A health insurer may require the insured individual to make a request for a confidential |
15 | communication described in subsection (b)(1) of this section, in writing or by electronic |
16 | transmission. |
17 | (3) The confidential communication request shall be valid until the insured individual |
18 | submits a revocation of the request, or a new confidential communication request is submitted. |
19 | (4) For the purposes of this section, a confidential communications request must be |
20 | implemented by the health insurer within seven (7) calendar days of the receipt of an electronic |
21 | transmission or telephonic request or within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt by first-class |
22 | mail. The health insurer shall acknowledge receipt of the confidential communications request and |
23 | advise the insured individual of the status of implementation of the request if an insured individual |
24 | contacts the insurer. |
25 | (c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section, a health care provider may make |
26 | arrangements with the insured individual for the payment of benefit cost sharing and communicate |
27 | that arrangement with the insurer. |
28 | (d) A health insurer shall not condition coverage on the waiver of rights provided in this |
29 | section. |
30 | (e) All health insurers shall create a confidential communications request form that shall |
31 | be easily readable and prominently displayed on the health insurer’s website. |
32 | (f) The department of health shall develop and disseminate to health care providers |
33 | information on best practices relating to how providers can support patients requesting confidential |
34 | communications including, but not limited to: |
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1 | (1) Ensuring that health care providers and health care staff are aware and understand the |
2 | requirements outlined in this section; |
3 | (2) Having hard-copy versions of the standardized confidential communications request |
4 | forms described in subsection (e) of this section, prominently displayed and available to patients; |
5 | and |
6 | (3) Offering to submit the standardized confidential communications request forms |
7 | described in subsection (e) of this section that has been completed by a patient to that patient’s |
8 | health insurer. |
9 | (g) The office of the health insurance commissioner and the department of health may |
10 | adopt reasonable rules and regulations for the implementation and administration of this chapter. |
11 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC000744/SUB A | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- CONFIDENTIALITY OF HEALTH | |
CARE COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ACT | |
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1 | This act would require a health insurer to accommodate the request for communication in |
2 | the form and format requested by the insured individual, if it is readily producible in the requested |
3 | form and format, including to provide such medical information to a specific mail or email address |
4 | or specific telephone number, as designated by the insured individual. |
5 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC000744/SUB A | |
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