The General Assembly finds that:
(1) The use of tests designed to reveal a condition indicative of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection can be a valuable tool in protecting the public health.(2) Despite existing laws, regulations and professional standards which require or promote the informed, voluntary and confidential use of tests designed to reveal HIV infection, many members of the public are deterred from seeking such testing because they misunderstand the nature of the test or fear that test results or other health information that reveals their HIV status will be disclosed without their consent.(3) The public health will be served by facilitating informed, voluntary and confidential use of tests designed to reveal HIV infection and appropriately protecting the health information privacy of patients who are HIV-positive.(4) The public health will also be served by expanding the availability of informed, voluntary, and confidential HIV testing and treatment and making HIV testing a routine part of general medical care, as recommended by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.(5) The use of electronic health record systems and the exchange of electronic patient records, both paper and electronic, through secure means, including through secure health information exchanges, should be encouraged to improve patient health care and care coordination, facilitate public health reporting, and control health care costs, among other purposes.(6) Limiting the use or disclosure of, and requests for, protected health information to the minimum necessary to accomplish an intended purpose, when being transmitted by or on behalf of a covered entity under HIPAA, is a key component of health information privacy. The disclosure of HIV-related information, when allowed by this Act, shall be performed in accordance with the minimum necessary standard when required under HIPAA.Amended by P.A. 098-1046,§ 10, eff. 1/1/2015.Amended by P.A. 095-0007,§ 5, eff. 6/1/2008.