Kansas Senate Bill SB213

Kansas 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/8/23
• Refer: 2/9/23
• Failed: 4/30/24

Caption

Requiring healthcare providers to charge the same amount for medical record requests related to a patient's social security disability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice or personal injury claims whether requested by a patient or the patient's legal representative.

Impact

The bill amends the Kansas health information technology act, specifically K.S.A. 65-6821 and K.S.A. 65-6836. By doing so, it seeks to simplify and reduce costs associated with obtaining medical records for claims that could impact a patient’s welfare or legal standing. It establishes a framework to ensure that fees are reasonable and reflect the costs incurred by healthcare providers for duplicating records, further protecting patient rights in accessing important health information.

Summary

Senate Bill 213 aims to standardize the fees that healthcare providers can charge for medical records requests related to claims for social security disability, workers compensation, medical malpractice, or personal injury. Under the proposed legislation, healthcare providers would be required to charge the same amount for these record requests whether they are initiated by the patient directly or through a legal representative. This is intended to ensure equitable access to medical records for all patients, regardless of how they are making the request.

Contention

Notable points of contention may arise regarding the balance between administrative costs faced by healthcare providers and the need for accessible, affordable healthcare records for patients and their representatives. While the intention is to promote patient advocacy through equitable pricing, concerns could be raised around how this impacts the operational capabilities of healthcare providers, especially smaller practices that may depend on these fees to sustain their operations.