192.067. Patients' medical records, department may receive information from--purpose--confidentiality--immunity for persons releasing records, exception--penalty--costs, how paid.

MISSOURI STATUTES AND CODES

192.067. Patients' medical records, department may receive information from--purpose--confidentiality--immunity for persons releasing records, exception--penalty--costs, how paid.

Patients' medical records, department may receive informationfrom--purpose--confidentiality--immunity for persons releasingrecords, exception--penalty--costs, how paid.

192.067. 1. The department of health and senior services, forpurposes of conducting epidemiological studies to be used in promoting andsafeguarding the health of the citizens of Missouri under the authority ofthis chapter is authorized to receive information from patient medicalrecords. The provisions of this section shall also apply to thecollection, analysis, and disclosure of nosocomial infection data frompatient records collected pursuant to section 192.667.

2. The department shall maintain the confidentiality of all medicalrecord information abstracted by or reported to the department. Medicalinformation secured pursuant to the provisions of subsection 1 of thissection may be released by the department only in a statistical aggregateform that precludes and prevents the identification of patient, physician,or medical facility except that medical information may be shared withother public health authorities and coinvestigators of a health study ifthey abide by the same confidentiality restrictions required of thedepartment of health and senior services and except as otherwise authorizedby the provisions of sections 192.665 to 192.667. The department of healthand senior services, public health authorities and coinvestigators shalluse the information collected only for the purposes provided for in thissection and section 192.667.

3. No individual or organization providing information to thedepartment in accordance with this section shall be deemed to be or be heldliable, either civilly or criminally, for divulging confidentialinformation unless such individual organization acted in bad faith or withmalicious purpose.

4. The department of health and senior services is authorized toreimburse medical care facilities, within the limits of appropriations madefor that purpose, for the costs associated with abstracting data forspecial studies.

5. Any department of health and senior services employee, publichealth authority or coinvestigator of a study who knowingly releasesinformation which violates the provisions of this section shall be guiltyof a class A misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished asprovided by law.