BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center                                                                                                     H.B. 1060

                                                                                                                     By: Parker et al. (Harris)

                                                                                                 Transportation & Homeland Security

                                                                                                                                            4/28/2007

                                                                                                                                           Engrossed

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Currently, a hospital's patient index typically contains from four to 12 percent duplicate patient records.  Hospitals typically create twice as many duplicate records as currently exist in their patient index because currently deployed duplicate record reports usually only identify half of the known duplicate records.  These and other complications lead to the failure to identify past treatments administered to the patient and other information contained in a person's medical history, including known allergic reactions to certain treatments.  Advancements in technology have brought more efficient and effective ways for the healthcare industry to supply medical service.  However, the healthcare industry is currently prohibited from utilizing advancements in technology to collect data contained on a patient's form of personal identification.  If scanned at the point of service, a patient's identification can gather necessary demographic and medical information in real time and absent the threat of an error during manual data entry.

 

H.B. 1060 allows healthcare providers to electronically scan a patient's form of personal identification for the purpose of gathering information and accessing medical records.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 521.126, Transportation Code, by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (i), as follows:

 

(b)  Makes a conforming change.

 

(i)  Provides that the prohibition against a person accessing or using electronically readable information derived from a driver's license, commercial driver's license, or personal identification certificate does not apply to a hospital that accesses or uses the information that is printed on the license or personal identification certificate to complete a form that is required to provide health care services to the individual who holds the driver's license, commercial driver's license, or personal identification certificate.

 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2007.