Health information.

(1) Existing law generally requires a health care professional at whose request a test is performed to provide or arrange for the provision of the results of a clinical laboratory test to the patient who is the subject of the test if so requested by the patient, in oral or written form. Existing law requires those results to be disclosed in plain language and in oral or written form, except the results may be disclosed in electronic form if requested by the patient and if deemed most appropriate by the health care professional who requested the test. Existing law requires a patient's consent to receive their laboratory results by internet posting or other electronic means and requires those results to be disclosed to the patient in a reasonable time period, but only after the results have been reviewed by a health care professional and if access to the results is restricted by use of a secure personal identification number when the results are disclosed to the patient. This bill would define "test" for these purposes to apply to both clinical laboratory tests and imaging scans, such as x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, or other similar technologies and would also make conforming changes. The bill would remove the requirement that a health care professional review the results before the results are disclosed to the patient by internet posting or other electronic means. (2) Existing law establishes procedures for providing access to health care records or summaries of those records by patients and those persons having responsibility for decisions respecting the health care of others. Under existing law, any adult patient of a health care provider, any minor patient authorized by law to consent to medical treatment, and any patient's personal representative is entitled to inspect patient records upon presenting to the health care provider a request for those records and upon payment of reasonable costs, except as specified. A patient who is a minor is entitled to inspect patient records pertaining only to health care of a type for which the minor is lawfully authorized to consent. Existing law also prohibits the representative of a minor from inspecting the minor's patient records under certain circumstances, including with respect to which the minor has a right of inspection. This bill would additionally prohibit the representative of a minor from inspecting the minor's patient records when the records relate to certain services, including medical care related to the prevention or treatment of pregnancy, as specified. (3) Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing federal regulations require the implementation of specified application programming interfaces (API) for the access to and exchange of health data and plan information. This bill would require, commencing January 1, 2024, health care service plans and health insurers to establish and maintain API, as described by the federal regulations, for the benefit of enrollees, insureds, and contracted providers. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.