§ 20-77-907 - Records. - Arkansas Statutes

20-77-907. Records.

(a) (1) All persons under the Arkansas Medicaid program are required to maintain at the person's principal place of Medicaid business all records at least for a period of five (5) years from the date of claimed provision of any goods or services to any Medicaid recipient.

(2) (A) Any person found not to have maintained all records shall be guilty of a Class D felony if the unavailability of records impairs or obstructs a civil action pursuant to this subchapter.

(B) Otherwise, the unavailability of records shall be a Class A misdemeanor.

(b) (1) No potential Medicaid recipient shall be eligible for medical assistance unless he or she has authorized in writing the Director of the Department of Human Services to examine all records of his or her own or of those receiving or having received Medicaid benefits through him or her, whether the receipt of the benefits would be allowed by the program or not, for the purpose of investigating whether any person may have violated this subchapter or for use or potential use in any legal, administrative, or judicial proceeding.

(2) No person shall be eligible to receive any payment from the program or its fiscal agents unless that person has authorized in writing the director to examine all records for the purpose of investigating whether any person may have committed the crime of Medicaid fraud or for use or for potential use in any legal, administrative, or judicial proceeding.

(c) The Attorney General shall be allowed access to all records of persons and Medicaid recipients under the program to which the director has access for the purpose of investigating whether any person may have violated this subchapter or for use or potential use in any legal, administrative, or judicial proceeding.

(d) (1) Records obtained by the director or the Attorney General pursuant to this subchapter shall be classified as confidential information and shall not be subject to outside review or release by any individual except when records are used or potentially to be used by any governmental entity in any legal, administrative, or judicial proceeding.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no person shall be subject to any civil or criminal liability for providing access to records to the director, to the Attorney General, or to the prosecuting attorneys.