AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE ON PATIENTS' MEDICAL RECORDS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force to study patients' medical records. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, an examination of (1) the time frame for a heath care provider or health care institution to respond to a request for medical records, (2) the cost for research and copies in response to a request for medical records, and (3) the requirements of 45 CFR 164.524 concerning individuals' access to their protected health information.

(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:

(1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be a representative of a business that provides health information management services;

(2) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who shall be a representative of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association;

(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives;

(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall be a patient advocate;

(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be a representative of the Connecticut Medical Society;

(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be a representative of the Connecticut Hospital Association; and

(7) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, or their designees.

(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) or (7) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the General Assembly.

(d) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.

(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairperson of the task force from among the members of the task force. Such chairperson shall schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

(f) Not later than January 1, 2017, the task force shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2017, whichever is later.