Bill > SB1421

This bill modifies existing law regarding medical record retention by removing the requirement for the Department of Health to pre-approve a health care provider's plan for preserving medical records before they cease operations. Instead, the bill clarifies that health care providers must retain medical records for 25 years after the last entry (or for minors, during their minority plus 25 years after reaching majority) and must ensure their retention and preservation is consistent with federal and state regulations. The bill also introduces a new requirement that when a provider is about to stop operating, they must notify patients at their last known address about how to access or request copies of their medical records. The legislature's rationale is that health care providers already have internal policies, external accreditation requirements, and are subject to federal agency regulations like those from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which make the Department of Health's prior approval unnecessary. The bill will take effect on July 1, 3000.

Health and Social Services, Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=1421&year=2026