BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 2119 (Chu) - Medical information: disclosure: medical
examiners and forensic pathologists
-----------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| |
| |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Version: August 2, 2016 |Policy Vote: JUD. 7 - 0 |
| | |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
| | |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Hearing Date: August 11, 2016 |Consultant: Jolie Onodera |
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bill
Summary: AB 2119 would authorize licensed physicians who
perform official autopsies on behalf of a county coroner's
office or the medical examiner's office to receive medical
information for specified purposes. This bill would additionally
require a health facility, as defined, a health or behavioral
health facility or clinic, and the physician in charge of the
patient to release a patient's medical record relating to
community mental health services, voluntary admissions and
judicial commitments to mental hospitals, and county psychiatric
hospitals to a medical examiner, forensic pathologist, or
coroner, as specified, upon request, when a patient dies from
any cause, natural or otherwise.
*********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM - SUSPENSE FILE ***********
The following information is revised to reflect amendments
adopted by the committee on August 11, 2016
AB 2119 (Chu) Page 1 of
?
Fiscal
Impact:
County health and behavioral health facilities : Potential
increase in ongoing non-reimbursable local costs for local
agencies to accept and respond to requests for the disclosure
of specified medical death records. The statewide fiscal
impact would be dependent on the administrative process
involved and the volume of annual requests, which is unknown.
DDS/DSH/CDCR : Minor and absorbable fiscal impact to the
Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Department of
State Hospitals (DSH), and the Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation (CDCR) to disclose medical information.
Disclosure by health care providers/contractors : Private and
non-reimbursable local costs to disclose medical records to
medical examiners and forensic pathologists, in addition to
coroners' offices.
Author
Amendments: Define medical examiner, forensic pathologist, and
coroner for purposes of the bill, remove the state-mandated
local program designation, and make other technical changes.
-- END --