Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 5122 | Hospitalization of Mentally Ill
Section 5122.31 | Confidentiality.

Effective: July 1, 2017
Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 319 - 131st General Assembly
(A) All certificates, applications, records, and reports made for the purpose of this chapter and sections 2945.38, 2945.39, 2945.40, 2945.401, and 2945.402 of the Revised Code, other than court journal entries or court docket entries, and directly or indirectly identifying a patient or former patient or person whose hospitalization or commitment has been sought under this chapter, shall be kept confidential and shall not be disclosed by any person except:
(1) If the person identified, or the person's legal guardian, if any, or if the person is a minor, the person's parent or legal guardian, consents, and if the disclosure is in the best interests of the person, as may be determined by the court for judicial records and by the chief clinical officer for medical records;
(2) When disclosure is provided for in this chapter or Chapters 340. or 5119. of the Revised Code or in accordance with other provisions of state or federal law authorizing such disclosure;
(3) That hospitals, boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, and community mental health services providers may release necessary medical information to insurers and other third-party payers, including government entities responsible for processing and authorizing payment, to obtain payment for goods and services furnished to the patient;
(4) Pursuant to a court order signed by a judge;
(5) That a patient shall be granted access to the patient's own psychiatric and medical records, unless access specifically is restricted in a patient's treatment plan for clear treatment reasons;
(6) That hospitals and other institutions and facilities within the department of mental health and addiction services may exchange psychiatric records and other pertinent information with other hospitals, institutions, and facilities of the department, and with community mental health services providers and boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services with which the department has a current agreement for patient care or services. Records and information that may be released pursuant to this division shall be limited to medication history, physical health status and history, financial status, summary of course of treatment in the hospital, summary of treatment needs, and a discharge summary, if any.
(7) That hospitals within the department and other institutions and facilities within the department may exchange psychiatric records and other pertinent information with payers and other providers of treatment, health services, and recovery supports if the purpose of the exchange is to facilitate continuity of care for a patient or for the emergency treatment of an individual;
(8) That a patient's family member who is involved in the provision, planning, and monitoring of services to the patient may receive medication information, a summary of the patient's diagnosis and prognosis, and a list of the services and personnel available to assist the patient and the patient's family, if the patient's treating physician determines that the disclosure would be in the best interests of the patient. No such disclosure shall be made unless the patient is notified first and receives the information and does not object to the disclosure.
(9) That community mental health services providers may exchange psychiatric records and certain other information with the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services and other services providers in order to provide services to a person involuntarily committed to a board. Release of records under this division shall be limited to medication history, physical health status and history, financial status, summary of course of treatment, summary of treatment needs, and discharge summary, if any.
(10) That information may be disclosed to the executor or the administrator of an estate of a deceased patient when the information is necessary to administer the estate;
(11) That records in the possession of the Ohio history connection may be released to the closest living relative of a deceased patient upon request of that relative;
(12) That records pertaining to the patient's diagnosis, course of treatment, treatment needs, and prognosis shall be disclosed and released to the appropriate prosecuting attorney if the patient was committed pursuant to section 2945.38, 2945.39, 2945.40, 2945.401, or 2945.402 of the Revised Code, or to the attorney designated by the board for proceedings pursuant to involuntary commitment under this chapter.
(13) That the department of mental health and addiction services may exchange psychiatric hospitalization records, other mental health treatment records, and other pertinent information with the department of rehabilitation and correction and with the department of youth services to ensure continuity of care for inmates or offenders who are receiving mental health services in an institution of the department of rehabilitation and correction or the department of youth services and may exchange psychiatric hospitalization records, other mental health treatment records, and other pertinent information with boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services and community mental health services providers to ensure continuity of care for inmates or offenders who are receiving mental health services in an institution and are scheduled for release within six months. The release of records under this division is limited to records regarding an inmate's or offender's medication history, physical health status and history, summary of course of treatment, summary of treatment needs, and a discharge summary, if any;
(14) That records and reports relating to a person who has been deceased for fifty years or more are no longer considered confidential.
(B) Before records are disclosed pursuant to divisions (A)(3), (6), and (9) of this section, the custodian of the records shall attempt to obtain the patient's consent for the disclosure. No person shall reveal the contents of a medical record of a patient except as authorized by law.
(C) The managing officer of a hospital who releases necessary medical information under division (A)(3) of this section to allow an insurance carrier or other third party payor to comply with section 5121.43 of the Revised Code shall neither be subject to criminal nor civil liability.
The Legislative Service Commission presents the text of this section as a composite of the section as amended by multiple acts of the General Assembly. This presentation recognizes the principle stated in R.C. 1.52(B) that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation.

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