BILL ANALYSIS Ó ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 922| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 445-6614 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ THIRD READING Bill No: SB 922 Author: Negrete McLeod (D) Amended: 3/22/11 Vote: 21 SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE : 7-0, 4/13/11 AYES: Hernandez, Strickland, Alquist, Anderson, De León, DeSaulnier, Rubio NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Wolk SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8 SUBJECT : Immunizations: disclosure of information: tuberculosis screening SOURCE : Health Officers Association of California DIGEST : This bill adds tuberculosis (TB) screening results to the list of information that may be collected by local health departments and the Department of Public Health (DPH) for immunization information systems. ANALYSIS : Existing law: 1. Authorizes local health officers to operate immunization information systems in conjunction with the DPH Immunization Branch. Information systems may be operated jointly among more than one health CONTINUED SB 922 Page 2 jurisdiction. Information contained within the systems may be shared with other health officers operating the systems. 2. Allows health care providers and other agencies to disclose specified information from a patient's medical record, or from a client's record, to local health departments (LHD) operating county or regional immunization systems and to DPH. 3. Allows LHDs and DPH to disclose this information to each other and to health care providers providing medical care for the patient, upon request. This information includes: A. The names of the patient and his/her parent or guardian; B. The patient or client's date of birth, birthplace, and gender; C. Types and dates of immunizations received by the patient or client, including the manufacturers and lot numbers of the immunizations, as well as any adverse reactions to the immunizations received; D. Other nonmedical information necessary to establish identity; and E. The current address and phone number of the patient or client and the parents or guardians of the patient or client. 4. Requires, prior to disclosing patient or client information to an immunization system, the disclosing entity to inform the patient or client, or the parent or guardian, that the information may be shared with specified entities. 5. Allows a patient or a patient's parent or guardian to refuse to allow records to be shared. 6. Permits the patient or client, or parent or guardian, to examine the immunization record and correct errors. CONTINUED SB 922 Page 3 7. Allows LHDs and DPH to disclose the information they receive, with the exception of the current address and phone number, to other specified entities upon request. 8. Provides that the information may only be used for specified purposes including, but not limited to, compiling immunization population data and protecting the public health. 9. Requires health care providers, LHDs, DPH and other specified entities to maintain the confidentiality of this information. 10.Allows DPH to add any other disease to the list of required vaccinations for school entry that is consistent with the most current immunization recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. This bill adds TB screening results to the list of information that may be collected by LHDs and DPH for the purpose of immunization information systems. Background California's statewide immunization system is called the California Immunization Registry (CAIR). CAIR consists of 10 regional immunization registries (mostly covering multi-county regions). Each registry provides a computerized system designed to assist providers in tracking patient immunization records by using web-based registry software to enter immunization data on their patients. Regional registries work with the state to maintain accurate, complete, and up-to-date immunization histories of patients served by local providers, assist with reminder notices for immunizations due or recall notices for those overdue, and inform parents and guardians about record-sharing and their right to opt out. Relevant agencies, such as schools, child care centers, service providers for the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), health CONTINUED SB 922 Page 4 care plans, foster care agencies, and county welfare departments may access the immunization data in CAIR to verify a pupil or client's immunization status or assist in providing medical care or services for a client. CAIR may also be used to provide the state with the data to assess immunization coverage rates, identify pockets of need, and analyze how best to ensure full immunization coverage. Participation in CAIR is not mandatory for patients or health care providers, but certain immunizations are required for school entry, including Diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b, Measles, Mumps, Pertussis, Poliomyelitis, Rubella, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Varicella. TB screening results are not currently mandated for school entry, but TB is included on the list of communicable diseases mandated to be reported by health providers to their LHDs. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No SUPPORT : (Verified 5/2/11) Health Officers Association of California (source) ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The Health Officers Association of California believes that not being able to collect TB screening information in the immunization registry is an inconvenience for parents and time-consuming for providers. This bill fixes this by allowing the registry to record TB screening results, which they believe will have the added benefit of helping schools expedite student registration. CTW:kc 5/2/11 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END **** CONTINUED