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Text: HSB00716                          Text: HSB00718
Text: HSB00700 - HSB00799               Text: HSB Index
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House Study Bill 717

Conference Committee Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  Section 622.10, Code 1995, is amended to read
  1  2 as follows:
  1  3    622.10  COMMUNICATIONS IN PROFESSIONAL CONFIDENCE –
  1  4 EXCEPTIONS – REQUIRED CONSENT TO RELEASE OF MEDICAL RECORDS
  1  5  APPLICATION TO COURT.
  1  6    1.  A practicing attorney, counselor, physician, surgeon,
  1  7 physician's physician assistant, mental health professional,
  1  8 or the stenographer or confidential clerk of any such person,
  1  9 who obtains information by reason of the person's employment,
  1 10 or a member of the clergy shall not be allowed, in giving
  1 11 testimony, to disclose any confidential communication properly
  1 12 entrusted to the person in the person's professional capacity,
  1 13 and necessary and proper to enable the person to discharge the
  1 14 functions of the person's office according to the usual course
  1 15 of practice or discipline.
  1 16    2.  The prohibition does not apply to cases where the
  1 17 person in whose favor the prohibition is made waives the
  1 18 rights conferred; nor does the prohibition apply to physicians
  1 19 or surgeons, physician's physician assistants, mental health
  1 20 professionals, or to the stenographer or confidential clerk of
  1 21 any physicians or surgeons, physician's physician assistants,
  1 22 or mental health professionals, in a civil action in which the
  1 23 condition of the person in whose favor the prohibition is made
  1 24 is an element or factor of the claim or defense of the person
  1 25 or of any party claiming through or under the person.  The
  1 26 evidence is admissible upon trial of the action only as it
  1 27 relates to the condition alleged.
  1 28    3.  a.  If a written request is made to a physician or
  1 29 surgeon, physician assistant, or mental health professional by
  1 30 an adverse party for the patient records of a plaintiff in a
  1 31 civil action in which the condition of the plaintiff in whose
  1 32 favor the prohibition is made is an element or factor of the
  1 33 claim or a defense of the adverse party or of any party
  1 34 claiming through or under the adverse party, and the records
  1 35 relate to the condition alleged, the physician or surgeon,
  2  1 physician assistant, or mental health professional shall
  2  2 notify the plaintiff of the request and the plaintiff shall
  2  3 sign a consent within twenty-eight days of receipt of the
  2  4 notification, authorizing the physician or surgeon, physician
  2  5 assistant, or mental health professional to do all of the
  2  6 following:
  2  7    (1)  Provide a complete copy of the patient's records,
  2  8 including but not limited to any reports of third parties or X
  2  9 rays relating to the condition.
  2 10    (2)  Allow the adverse party to review the original patient
  2 11 records relating to the condition alleged.
  2 12    (3)  Review other health care records, films, and documents
  2 13 relating to the condition alleged and furnished by the
  2 14 attorney of the adverse party, prior to providing testimony.
  2 15    (4)  Confer with the attorney of the adverse party prior to
  2 16 providing testimony regarding the plaintiff's medical history
  2 17 and the condition alleged, opinions regarding health etiology
  2 18 and prognosis for the condition alleged, and opinions
  2 19 regarding the care provided to the plaintiff by other health
  2 20 care providers for the condition alleged.
  2 21    b.  If a plaintiff fails to sign a consent within the
  2 22 prescribed time period, or if a physician or surgeon,
  2 23 physician assistant, or mental health professional fails to
  2 24 comply with the request, the court may order disclosure or
  2 25 compliance or the failure may be grounds for dismissal of the
  2 26 action.
  2 27    4.  If an adverse party desires the oral deposition, either
  2 28 discovery or evidentiary, of a physician or surgeon,
  2 29 physician's physician assistant, or mental health professional
  2 30 to which the prohibition would otherwise apply or the
  2 31 stenographer or confidential clerk of a physician or surgeon,
  2 32 physician's physician assistant, or mental health professional
  2 33 or desires to call a physician or surgeon, physician's
  2 34 physician assistant, or mental health professional to which
  2 35 the prohibition would otherwise apply or the stenographer or
  3  1 confidential clerk of a physician or surgeon, physician's
  3  2 physician assistant, or mental health professional as a
  3  3 witness at the trial of the action, the adverse party shall
  3  4 file an application with the court for permission to do so.
  3  5 The court upon hearing, which shall not be ex parte, shall
  3  6 grant permission unless the court finds that the evidence
  3  7 sought does not relate to the condition alleged and shall fix
  3  8 a reasonable fee to be paid to the physician or surgeon,
  3  9 physician's physician assistant, or mental health professional
  3 10 by the party taking the deposition or calling the witness.
  3 11    5.  For the purposes of this section, "mental health
  3 12 professional" means a psychologist licensed under chapter
  3 13 154B, a registered nurse licensed under chapter 152, a social
  3 14 worker licensed under chapter 154C, a marital and family
  3 15 therapist licensed under chapter 154D, a mental health
  3 16 counselor licensed under chapter 154D, or an individual
  3 17 holding at least a master's degree in a related field as
  3 18 deemed appropriate by the board of behavioral science
  3 19 examiners.
  3 20    6.  No A qualified school guidance counselor, who has met
  3 21 the certification and accreditation standards of the
  3 22 department of education as provided in section 256.11,
  3 23 subsection 10, who obtains information by reason of the
  3 24 counselor's employment as a qualified school guidance
  3 25 counselor shall not be allowed, in giving testimony, to
  3 26 disclose any confidential communications properly entrusted to
  3 27 the counselor by a pupil or the pupil's parent or guardian in
  3 28 the counselor's capacity as a qualified school guidance
  3 29 counselor and necessary and proper to enable the counselor to
  3 30 perform the counselor's duties as a qualified school guidance
  3 31 counselor.  
  3 32                           EXPLANATION
  3 33    This bill provides a procedure for the furnishing of a
  3 34 plaintiff's patient records by a physician or surgeon,
  3 35 physician assistant, or mental health professional to an
  4  1 adverse party in a civil action in which the condition of the
  4  2 plaintiff is an element or factor of the claim or is a defense
  4  3 of the adverse party or of any party claiming through or under
  4  4 the adverse party, if the record relates to the condition
  4  5 alleged.  The bill provides that if a request for patient
  4  6 records is made, the plaintiff shall sign a consent within 28
  4  7 days of the receipt of notification by the physician or
  4  8 surgeon, physician assistant, or mental health professional of
  4  9 the written request authorizing the physician or surgeon,
  4 10 physician assistant, or mental health professional to do all
  4 11 of the following:  provide a complete copy of the patient's
  4 12 records; allow the adverse party to review the original
  4 13 patient record; review other records, films, and documents
  4 14 relating to the alleged condition; and confer with the adverse
  4 15 party's attorney regarding the patient's medical history, the
  4 16 etiology and prognosis for the condition alleged, and opinions
  4 17 of other health care professionals regarding the condition
  4 18 alleged.  If the plaintiff fails to sign the consent form
  4 19 within the 28-day period, the court may order disclosure or
  4 20 compliance with the requirements or may dismiss the action.  
  4 21 LSB 4134HC 76
  4 22 pf/cf/24
     

Text: HSB00716                          Text: HSB00718
Text: HSB00700 - HSB00799               Text: HSB Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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