Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 368a - Department of Public Health
Section 19a-72. (Formerly Sec. 19-29a). - Connecticut Tumor Registry. Definitions. Duties of Department of Public Health. Reporting requirements. Penalties. Regulations.

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Clinical laboratory” means any facility or other area used for microbiological, serological, chemical, hematological, immunohematological, biophysical, cytological, pathological or other examinations of human body fluids, secretions, excretions or excised or exfoliated tissues, for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of any human disease or impairment, for the assessment of human health or for the presence of drugs, poisons or other toxicological substances;
(2) “Hospital” means an establishment for the lodging, care and treatment of persons suffering from disease or other abnormal physical or mental conditions and includes inpatient psychiatric services in general hospitals;
(3) “Health care provider” means any person or organization that furnishes health care services and is licensed or certified to furnish such services pursuant to chapters 370, 372, 373, 375, 378 and 379 or is licensed or certified pursuant to chapter 384d;
(4) “Occupation” means the usual kind of work performed by an individual;
(5) “Industry” means the type of business to which an occupation relates; and
(6) “Reportable tumor” means tumors and conditions included in the Connecticut Tumor Registry reportable list maintained by the Department of Public Health, as amended from time to time, as deemed necessary by the department.
(b) The Department of Public Health shall maintain and operate the Connecticut Tumor Registry. Said registry shall include a report of every occurrence of a reportable tumor that is diagnosed or treated in the state. Such reports shall be made to the department by any hospital, clinical laboratory or health care provider in the state. Such reports shall include, but not be limited to, pathology reports and information obtained from records of any person licensed as a health care provider and may include a collection of actual tissue samples and such information as the department may prescribe. Information contained in the report shall include, when available: (1) Demographic data; (2) occupation and industry of the patient; (3) diagnostic, treatment and pathology reports; (4) operative reports, hematology, medical oncology and radiation therapy consults, or abstracts of such reports or consults in a format prescribed by the department; and (5) other medical information as the department may prescribe. Such information shall be reported to the department not later than six months after diagnosis or the first encounter for treatment of a reportable tumor, in the form and manner prescribed by the department and updates of such information shall be reported to the department, annually, for the duration of the patient's lifetime. Such reports shall include every occurrence of a reportable tumor that is diagnosed or treated during a calendar year.
(c) (1) A health care provider shall provide the Department of Public Health, at the request of the department, access to the clinical records of any patient, as the department deems necessary, to perform case finding or other quality improvement audits to ensure completeness of reporting and data accuracy consistent with the purposes of this section.
(2) A hospital shall provide the Department of Public Health with access, including remote access, to the entirety of a patient's medical record, as the department deems necessary, to perform case finding or other quality improvement audits to ensure completeness of reporting and data accuracy consistent with the purposes of this section. Such remote access shall be provided on or before October 1, 2022, if technically feasible. The department shall not divulge any personal information obtained from the medical record to anyone and shall hold any such personal information strictly confidential pursuant to section 19a-25.
(d) The Department of Public Health may enter into a contract for the receipt, storage, holding or maintenance of the data, files or tissue samples under its control and management.
(e) The Department of Public Health may enter into reciprocal reporting agreements with the appropriate agencies of other states to exchange tumor reports.
(f) (1) Failure by a hospital, clinical laboratory or health care provider to comply with the reporting requirements prescribed in this section may result in the department electing to perform the registry services for such hospital, clinical laboratory or provider. In such case, the hospital, clinical laboratory or provider shall reimburse the department for actual expenses incurred in performing such services.
(2) Any hospital, clinical laboratory or health care provider that fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed five hundred dollars for each failure to disclose a reportable tumor, as determined by the commissioner.
(3) A hospital, clinical laboratory or health care provider that fails to report cases of cancer as required in regulations adopted in accordance with the provisions of subsection (h) of this section, shall be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars per business day, for each day thereafter that the report is not submitted and ordered to comply with the terms of this subsection by the Commissioner of Public Health.
(4) The reimbursements, expenses and civil penalties set forth in this section shall be assessed only after the Department of Public Health has provided a hospital, clinical laboratory or health care provider with written notice of deficiency and such hospital, clinical laboratory or health care provider has been afforded not less than fourteen business days after the date of receiving such notice to provide a written response to the department. Such written response shall include any information requested by the department.
(g) The Commissioner of Public Health may request that the Attorney General initiate an action to collect any civil penalties assessed pursuant to this section and obtain such orders as necessary to enforce any provision of this section.
(h) The Commissioner of Public Health may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section.
(P.A. 80-143, S. 1, 3; P.A. 81-472, S. 43, 159; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 09-232, S. 7; P.A. 10-18, S. 5; P.A. 12-197, S. 3; P.A. 13-208, S. 23; P.A. 14-231, S. 29; P.A. 18-168, S. 1; P.A. 21-121, S. 79.)
History: P.A. 81-472 made technical changes; Sec. 19-29a transferred to Sec. 19a-72 in 1983; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 09-232 replaced existing provisions with Subsecs. (a) to (g) re definitions, duties of department, reporting requirements and penalties for noncompliance with such requirements; P.A. 10-18 made a technical change in Subsec. (f)(2); P.A. 12-197 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re pathology reports to be included in registry and making a technical change; P.A. 13-208 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing provision re data, demographic, diagnostic and treatment information with provisions re information to be contained in report, adding provision re deadline for information to be reported and deleting provision re annual report, effective June 21, 2013; P.A. 14-231 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing references to Chs. 375a to 384a, 388, 398 and 399 with references to Chs. 378 and 379 in Subdiv. (3), adding new Subdiv. (4) defining “occupation”, adding Subdiv. (5) defining “industry” and redesignating existing Subdiv. (4) as Subdiv. (6), amended Subsec. (b) by adding new Subdiv. (2) re occupation and industry, redesignating existing Subdivs. (2) to (4) as Subdivs. (3) to (5), adding provision re updates of information and deleting provision re list of data items, amended Subsec. (d) by adding “receipt”, replacing “and” with “or” and adding “data, files or”, amended Subsec. (f) by replacing provision re Sec. 19a-73 with provision re Subsec. (h) in Subdiv. (3) and substantially revising Subdiv. (4) re notice, added Subsec. (h) re regulations and made technical changes; P.A. 18-168 amended Subsec. (a)(3) by replacing “chapter 368d” with “chapter 384d”; P.A. 21-121 amended Subsec. (c) by designating existing provision as Subdiv. (1) and amending same to make technical changes and adding Subdiv. (2) re remote access to medical records.

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