Source: https://www.rcfp.org/open-government-sections/4-infectious-disease-and-health-epidemics/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 12:20:45+00:00

Document:
The Department of Health and Social Services may inspect health care records that would identify cancers, birth defects or infectious disease required to be reported, and may conduct research using such health care data. Data obtained or a records inspected under this section that identify a particular individual are confidential, and are not subject to inspection or copying under the public records act. AS 18.05.042.
The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services maintains reports of positive HIV and AIDS tests. Those records are exempt from the FOIA. Ark. Code Ann. § 20-15-904. Records of healthcare-acquired infections collected by the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services are exempt from the FOIA. Ark. Code Ann. § 20-9-1206. The records maintained by the Cancer Registry of Arkansas are also exempt from disclosure. Ark. Code Ann. § 20-15-203.
Information about an ongoing outbreak of an infectious disease at a public facility is not expressly exempt and strong public policies support disclosure of such information to inform the public, dissuade undue panic and allow the public to judge the agency’s response. It can be anticipated that some concerns about whether disclosure will violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPPA”) will be expressed, if not directly asserted to thwart disclosure. HIPPA would only apply, however, if the facility fell within the definition of a “health care provider” and the disclosure was of “individually identifiable health information,” as those terms are defined under 42 USCA Section 1320(d); 45 CFR 160.103. Even so, HIPPA expressly authorizes disclosure pursuant to other legal mandates, such as a state‘s public records act. CFR § 164.512(a).
See Conn. Gen. Stat. §19a-581 et. Seq. re: confidential HIV-related information.
Infectious disease and health epidemic case reports and data are confidential but the Department of Public Health may release such reports and data in statistical form or for valid research purposes. O.C.G.A. § 31-12-2(a).
Medical opinions recorded in records maintained by a treatment center operated by the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii are within the scope of the physician-patient privilege and, therefore, protected from public disclosure under the UIPA. Medical Opinions Protected, OIP Op. Ltr. No. 93-15 (Oct. 1, 1993).
Idaho Code § 74-106(19) exempts records and information contained in the registry of immunizations against childhood diseases maintained by the Department of Health and Welfare. Idaho Code § 74-106(12) exempts records of the Department of Health and Welfare that identify a person infected with a reportable disease.
Open if the data does not identify any specific patient or reveal medical information belonging to a specific person. See Southern Illinoisan v. Illinois Dept. of Pub. Health, 218 Ill. 2d 390, 844 N.E.2d 1 (2006).
Reports of infectious diseases prepared pursuant to chapter 139A are confidential. Iowa Code § 139A.3.
“All records of interviews, questionnaires, reports, statements, notes, and memoranda procured by and prepared by employees or agents of the office of public health . . . in connection with special morbidity and mortality studies and research investigations to determine any cause or condition of health, . . . are confidential and shall be used solely for statistical, scientific, and medical research purposes relating to the cause or condition of health. . . .” La. Rev. Stat. Ann. 40:3.1(A).
Any report on human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome submitted in accordance with Title 18 of the Health-General Article is exempt from disclosure. § 4-329(b)(3). A request by a person in interest may not be denied, however, by an agency merely because the person seeks the identity of the source of infection, or because the information sought was gathered in the course of an agency's investigation of an outbreak or an infectious disease. See Haigley v. Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 128 Md. App. 194, 228, 736 A.2d 1185, 1202-03 (1999).
Medical records of individuals are not public. Otherwise, not addressed by public records statutes.
Any person may obtain any aggregate data from the health information system. NMSA 1978 § 24-14A-6(C).
(11) Release is made pursuant to any other provisions of law that specifically authorize or require the release of information or records related to AIDS. G.S. § 130A-143.
To protect the integrity of disease control records, to ensure their proper use, and to ensure efficient and proper administration of the department of health’s disease control function, it is unlawful for any person to permit inspection of or to disclose information contained in disease control records, including results of laboratory tests, or to copy or issue a copy of all or part of any such records. N.D.C.C. § 23-07-20.1.
The Ohio Revised Code sets forth a specialized process for obtaining records regarding HIV status from the Department of Health. Ohio Rev. Code § 3701.243. Information obtained by the Department of Health’s partner notification system in conjunction with AIDS task forces are specifically excluded from public records; disclosure of these records requires an application using the process set forth in § 3701.243. Ohio Rev. Code § 3701.241(A)(7).
The individual forms, computer tapes, or other forms of data collected by and furnished to the Division of Health Care Information or to a data processor pursuant to the Oklahoma Health Care Information System Act shall be confidential and shall not be public records as defined in the Open Records Act. 63 O.S. § 1-120.
Individual medical records are exempt from disclosure under federal law, and sexually transmitted disease records are confidential. S.C. Code Ann. § 44-29-135. Reports are required to be made to the State Department of Health and Environmental Control in instances of deaths from contagious or infectious diseases and chemical or other terrorism. The reports are to include the name and address of the patient and the nature of the disease. S.C. Code Ann. § 44-29-10. It is possible that the information without the patient identifying information would constitute a public record under state law.
Frequently closed. T.C.A. §§ 68-5-604, 703; 68-10-113, 116, 117; 68-11-222.
Communicable disease information relating to an individual is confidential and may be released only in accordance with enumerated requirements. See Utah Code § 26-6-27.
Healthcare providers are required to report diagnosis of certain communicable diseases as well as any illness, disease, injury or death identified by the department of health as likely to be caused by a weapon of mass destruction. 13 V.S.A. § 3504(a)(1); 18 V.S.A. § 1001. Information collected pursuant to 13 V.S.A. § 3504(a)(1) or 18 V.S.A. § 1001 is considered privileged and confidential. 13 V.S.A. § 3504(g); 18 V.S.A. § 1001.
All information and reports in connection with persons who have venereal diseases shall be regarded as absolutely confidential and for the sole use of the Board in the performance of its duties hereunder, and such records shall not be accessible to the public nor shall such records be deemed public records. 18 V.S.A. § 1099.
Vermont will provide medical testing to the victims of sexual violence and the results of such testing shall remain confidential. 13 V.S.A. § 3256(g)(2).
Patient level data that is collected for health purposes are exempt from the Act and publicly released data must be a format so to ensure patients cannot be identified. Va. Code Ann. § 32.1-276.9. A person making a disclosure of information subject to this confidentiality provision is subject to a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation.
While the Public Records Act contains numerous exemptions related to personal health care information, no specific provision governs access to statistics regarding epidemics. The state Department of Health gathers and periodically reports on incidents of certain diseases. See WAC 246-100 and 246-101.
Closed to the extent they reveal personally identifiable medical data on individuals.

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