SRC-SLL S.B. 752 75(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 752 By: Moncrief Health & Human Services 3-13-97 As Filed DIGEST Currently, Texas law prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of a patient's health care information except to certain persons and entities. Organ procurement organizations match available organs with individuals in need of transplants. The nature of organ procurement means that the match process must take place very quickly if the transplant is to be successful. Allowing information about the donor to be released to the procurement organization will facilitate the match process by ensuring timely access to information, which may be critical to matching the donor with a recipient. This bill will add organ and tissue procurement organizations to the list of entities to whom health care information can be disclosed without patient authorization. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 752 adds organ and tissue procurement organizations to the list of entities to whom health care information can be disclosed without patient authorization. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 241.153, Health and Safety Code, to authorize disclosure of a patient's health care information without the patient's authorization if the disclosure is to a qualified organ or tissue procurement organization as defined in Section 692.002(8). SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.