CHAPTER 165
SENATE BILL No. 119*
An Act concerning access to health care records by
patients, authorized representatives
and certain other persons and entities; relating to fees;
claims or actions to enforce.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. As used in this act: (a)
``Health care provider'' means those
persons and entities defined as a health care provider under K.S.A.
40-
3401 and K.S.A. 7-121b, and amendments thereto, except that
``health
care provider'' shall not include a health maintenance
organization.
(b) ``Authorized representative'' means
the person designated in writ-
ing by the patient to obtain the health care records of the patient
or the
person otherwise authorized by law to obtain the health care
records of
the patient.
(c) ``Authorization'' means a written or
printed document signed by
a patient or a patient's authorized representative containing: (1)
A de-
scription of the health care records a health care provider is
authorized
to produce; (2) the patient's name, address and date of birth; (3)
a des-
ignation of the person or entity authorized to obtain copies of the
health
care records; (4) a date or event upon which the force of the
authorization
shall expire which shall not exceed one year; (5) if signed by a
patient's
authorized representative, the authorized representative's name,
address,
telephone number and relationship or capacity to the patient; and
(6) a
statement setting forth the right of the person signing the
authorization
to revoke it in writing.
Sec. 2. (a) Subject to applicable
law, copies of health care records
shall be furnished to a patient, a patient's authorized
representative or
any other person or entity authorized by law to obtain or reproduce
such
records, within 30 days of the receipt of the authorization, or the
health
care provider shall notify the patient or the patient's authorized
repre-
sentative of the reasons why copies are not available. A health
care pro-
vider may withhold copies of health care records if the health care
pro-
vider reasonably believes that providing copies of the requested
records
will cause substantial harm to the patient or another person.
Health care
providers may condition the furnishing of the patient's health care
records
to the patient, the patient's authorized representative or any
other person
or entity authorized by law to obtain or reproduce such records,
upon
the payment of charges not to exceed a $15 fee for the cost of
supplies
and labor; and for copies of health care records routinely
duplicated on
a standard photocopy machine, $.50 per page for the first 250 pages
and
$.35 per page for additional pages. Providers may charge for the
reason-
able cost of all duplications of health care record information
which can-
not be routinely duplicated on a standard photocopy machine.
(b) On January 1, 2004, and annually
thereafter, the fees set forth in
subsection (a) shall be increased by the secretary of human
resources in
accordance with the all-items consumer price index published by
the
United States department of labor.
Sec. 3. Any health care provider,
patient, authorized representative
or any other entity authorized by law to obtain or reproduce such
records
may bring a claim or action to enforce the provisions of this act.
The
petition shall include an averment that the party bringing the
action has
in good faith conferred or attempted to confer with the other party
con-
cerning the matter in dispute without court action. Upon a showing
that
the failure to comply with this act was without just cause or
excuse, the
court shall award the costs of the action and order the records
produced
without cost or expense to the prevailing party.
Sec. 4. Nothing in this act shall
be construed to prohibit the state
board of healing arts from adopting and enforcing rules and
regulations
not inconsistent with this act that require licensees of the board
to furnish
health care records to patients or to their authorized
representative. To
the extent that the board determines that an administrative
disciplinary
remedy is appropriate for violation of such rules and regulations,
that
remedy is separate from and in addition to the provisions of this
act.
Sec. 5. This act shall take effect and be in force
from and after its
publication in the Kansas register.
Approved May 29, 2002.
Published in the Kansas Register June 6, 2002.
__________