H.B. No. 2641

AN ACT

relating to the exchange of health information in this state; creating a criminal offense.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Title 4, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, is amended by adding Chapter 74A to read as follows:

CHAPTER 74A. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY RELATING TO HEALTH

INFORMATION EXCHANGES

Sec. 74A.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:

(1) "Gross negligence" has the meaning assigned by Section 41.001.

(2) "Health care provider" means any individual, partnership, professional association, corporation, facility, or institution duly licensed, certified, registered, or chartered by this state to provide health care or medical care, including a physician. The term includes:

(A) an officer, director, shareholder, member, partner, manager, owner, or affiliate of a physician or other health care provider; and

(B) an employee, independent contractor, or agent of a physician or other health care provider acting in the course and scope of the employment or contractual relationship.

(3) "Health information exchange" has the meaning assigned by Section 182.151, Health and Safety Code. The term includes:

(A) an officer, director, shareholder, member, partner, manager, owner, or affiliate of the health information exchange; and

(B) an employee, independent contractor, or agent of the health information exchange acting in the course and scope of the employment or contractual relationship.

(4) "Malice" has the meaning assigned by Section 41.001.

(5) "Physician" means:

(A) an individual licensed to practice medicine in this state under Subtitle B, Title 3, Occupations Code;

(B) a professional association organized by an individual physician or a group of physicians;

(C) a partnership or limited liability partnership formed by a group of physicians;

(D) a limited liability company formed by a group of physicians;

(E) a nonprofit health corporation certified by the Texas Medical Board under Chapter 162, Occupations Code; or

(F) a single legal entity authorized to practice medicine in this state owned by a group of physicians.

Sec. 74A.002. LIMITATION ON LIABILITY OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS RELATING TO HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGES. (a) Unless the health care provider acts with malice or gross negligence, a health care provider who provides patient information to a health information exchange is not liable for any damages, penalties, or other relief related to the obtainment, use, or disclosure of that information in violation of federal or state privacy laws by a health information exchange, another health care provider, or any other person.

(b) Nothing in this section may be construed to create a cause of action or to create a standard of care, obligation, or duty that forms the basis for a cause of action.

Sec. 74A.003. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAW. The protections, immunities, and limitations of liability provided by this chapter are in addition to any other protections, immunities, and limitations of liability provided by other law.

SECTION 2. Section 531.0162, Government Code, is amended by adding Subsections (e), (f), (g), and (h) to read as follows:

(e) The executive commissioner shall ensure that:

(1) all information systems available for use by the commission or a health and human services agency in sending protected health information to a health care provider or receiving protected health information from a health care provider, and for which planning or procurement begins on or after September 1, 2015, are capable of sending or receiving that information in accordance with the applicable data exchange standards developed by the appropriate standards development organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute;

(2) if national data exchange standards do not exist for a system described by Subdivision (1), the commission makes every effort to ensure the system is interoperable with the national standards for electronic health record systems; and

(3) the commission and each health and human services agency establish an interoperability standards plan for all information systems that exchange protected health information with health care providers.

(f) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, the executive commissioner shall report to the governor and the Legislative Budget Board on the commission's and the health and human services agencies' measurable progress in ensuring that the information systems described in Subsection (e) are interoperable with one another and meet the appropriate standards specified by that subsection. The report must include an assessment of the progress made in achieving commission goals related to the exchange of health information, including facilitating care coordination among the agencies, ensuring quality improvement, and realizing cost savings.

(g) The executive commissioner by rule may develop and the commission may implement a system to reimburse providers of health care services under the state Medicaid program for review and transmission of electronic health information if feasible and cost-effective.

(h) In this section, "health care provider" and "provider of health care services" include a physician.

SECTION 3. Section 531.02176, Government Code, as amended by S.B. 219, Acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 531.02176. EXPIRATION OF MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT FOR PROVISION OF HOME TELEMONITORING SERVICES. Notwithstanding any other law, the commission may not reimburse providers under Medicaid for the provision of home telemonitoring services on or after September 1, 2019 [2015].

SECTION 4. Section 81.044(a), Health and Safety Code, as amended by S.B. 219, Acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The executive commissioner shall prescribe the form and method of reporting under this chapter, which may be in writing, by telephone, by electronic data transmission, through a health information exchange as defined by Section 182.151 if requested and authorized by the person required to report, or by other means.

SECTION 5. Section 82.008(a), Health and Safety Code, as amended by S.B. 219, Acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is amended to read as follows:

(a) To ensure an accurate and continuing source of data concerning cancer, each health care facility, clinical laboratory, and health care practitioner shall furnish to the department, on request, data the executive commissioner considers necessary and appropriate that is derived from each medical record pertaining to a case of cancer that is in the custody or under the control of the health care facility, clinical laboratory, or health care practitioner. The department may not request data that is more than three years old unless the department is investigating a possible cancer cluster. At the request and with the authorization of the applicable health care facility, clinical laboratory, or health care practitioner, data may be furnished to the department through a health information exchange as defined by Section 182.151.

SECTION 6. Section 161.007(d), Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows:

(d) A health care provider who administers an immunization to an individual younger than 18 years of age shall provide data elements regarding an immunization to the department. A health care provider who administers an immunization to an individual 18 years of age or older may submit data elements regarding an immunization to the department. At the request and with the authorization of the health care provider, the data elements may be submitted through a health information exchange as defined by Section 182.151. The data elements shall be submitted in a format prescribed by the department. The department shall verify consent before including the information in the immunization registry. The department may not retain individually identifiable information about an individual for whom consent cannot be verified.

SECTION 7. Section 161.00705(a), Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The department shall maintain a registry of persons who receive an immunization, antiviral, and other medication administered to prepare for a potential disaster, public health emergency, terrorist attack, hostile military or paramilitary action, or extraordinary law enforcement emergency or in response to a declared disaster, public health emergency, terrorist attack, hostile military or paramilitary action, or extraordinary law enforcement emergency. A health care provider who administers an immunization, antiviral, or other medication shall provide the data elements to the department. At the request and with the authorization of the health care provider, the data elements may be provided through a health information exchange as defined by Section 182.151.

SECTION 8. Section 161.00706(b), Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) A health care provider, on receipt of a request under Subsection (a)(1), shall submit the data elements to the department in a format prescribed by the department. At the request and with the authorization of the health care provider, the data elements may be submitted through a health information exchange as defined by Section 182.151. The department shall verify the person's request before including the information in the immunization registry.

SECTION 9. Section 161.0073(c), Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c) A person required to report information to the department for registry purposes or authorized to receive information from the registry may not disclose the individually identifiable information of an individual to any other person without the written or electronic consent of the individual or the individual's legally authorized representative, except as provided by Sections 161.007, 161.00705, 161.00706, and 161.008 of this code, Chapter 159, Occupations Code, or Section 602.053, Insurance Code.

SECTION 10. Section 161.008, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Subsection (i) to read as follows:

(i) At the request and with the authorization of the applicable health care provider, immunization history or data may be submitted to or obtained by the department through a health information exchange as defined by Section 182.151.

SECTION 11. Chapter 182, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Subchapter D to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER D. HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGES

Sec. 182.151. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "health information exchange" means an organization that:

(1) assists in the transmission or receipt of health-related information among organizations transmitting or receiving the information according to nationally recognized standards and under an express written agreement with the organizations;

(2) as a primary business function, compiles or organizes health-related information designed to be securely transmitted by the organization among physicians, other health care providers, or entities within a region, state, community, or hospital system; or

(3) assists in the transmission or receipt of electronic health-related information among physicians, other health care providers, or entities within:

(A) a hospital system;

(B) a physician organization;

(C) a health care collaborative, as defined by Section 848.001, Insurance Code;

(D) an accountable care organization participating in the Pioneer Model under the initiative by the Innovation Center of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; or

(E) an accountable care organization participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program under 42 U.S.C. Section 1395jjj.

Sec. 182.152. AUTHORITY OF HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE. (a) Notwithstanding Sections 81.046, 82.009, 161.0073, and 161.008, a health information exchange may access and transmit health-related information under Sections 81.044(a), 82.008(a), 161.007(d), 161.00705(a), 161.00706(b), and 161.008(i) if the access or transmittal is:

(1) made for the purpose of assisting in the reporting of health-related information to the appropriate agency;

(2) requested and authorized by the appropriate health care provider, practitioner, physician, facility, clinical laboratory, or other person who is required to report health-related information;

(3) made in accordance with the applicable consent requirements for the immunization registry under Subchapter A, Chapter 161, if the information being accessed or transmitted relates to the immunization registry; and

(4) made in accordance with the requirements of this subchapter and all other state and federal law.

(b) A health information exchange may only use and disclose the information that it accesses or transmits under Subsection (a) in compliance with this subchapter and all applicable state and federal law, and may not exchange, sell, trade, or otherwise make any prohibited use or disclosure of the information.

Sec. 182.153. COMPLIANCE WITH LAW; SECURITY. A health information exchange that collects, transmits, disseminates, accesses, or reports health-related information under this subchapter shall comply with all applicable state and federal law, including secure electronic data submission requirements.

Sec. 182.154. CRIMINAL PENALTY. (a) A person who collects, transmits, disseminates, accesses, or reports information under this subchapter on behalf of or as a health information exchange commits an offense if the person, with the intent to violate this subchapter, allows health-related information in the possession of a health information exchange to be used or disclosed in a manner that violates this subchapter.

(b) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

Sec. 182.155. IMMUNITIES AND DEFENSES CONTINUED. Collecting, transmitting, disseminating, accessing, or reporting information through a health information exchange does not alone deprive a physician or health care provider of an otherwise applicable immunity or defense.

SECTION 12. Chapter 74A, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, as added by this Act, applies only to a cause of action that accrues on or after the effective date of this Act. A cause of action that accrues before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 13. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.

______________________________ ______________________________

President of the Senate Speaker of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 2641 was passed by the House on May 15, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 120, Nays 5, 2 present, not voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to H.B. No. 2641 on May 27, 2015, and requested the appointment of a conference committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No. 2641 on May 31, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 127, Nays 17, 2 present, not voting.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 2641 was passed by the Senate, with amendments, on May 25, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 1; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No. 2641 on May 30, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: __________________

Date

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Governor