(1) Except as provided by subsection (5) of this section, all information and materials obtained and compiled by the department under this part 6 or compiled by a health facility under this part 6, including all related information and materials, are confidential; are not subject to disclosure, discovery, subpoena, or other means of legal compulsion for release to any person, subject to subsection (2) of this section; and may not be admitted as evidence or otherwise disclosed in a civil, criminal, or administrative proceeding.
The confidential protections under subsection (1) of this section shall apply withoutregard to whether the information or materials are obtained from or compiled by a health facility or an entity that has ownership or management interests in a health facility.
The transfer of information or materials under this part 6 is not a waiver of a privilege or protection granted under law.
Information reported by a health facility under this part 6 and analyses, plans, records, and reports obtained, prepared, or compiled by a health facility under this part 6 and all related information and materials are subject to an absolute privilege and shall not be used in any form against the health facility, its agents, employees, partners, assignees, or independent contractors in any civil, criminal, or administrative proceeding, regardless of the means by which a person came into possession of the information, analysis, plan, record, report, or related information or materials.
The provisions of this section regarding the confidentiality of information or materials compiled or reported by a health facility in compliance with or as authorized under this part 6 shall not restrict access, to the extent authorized by law, by the patient or the patients' legally authorized representative to records of the patient's medical diagnosis or treatment or to other primary health records.
Source: L. 2006: Entire part added, p. 1573, § 1, effective June 2.