South Carolina § 44-61-550 - Trauma Registry; confidentiality.

§ 44-61-550. Trauma Registry; confidentiality.

(A) The department may establish a trauma data collection and evaluation system, known as the "Trauma Registry". The Trauma Registry must be designed to include, but must not be limited to, trauma studies, patient care and outcomes, compliance with standards of verification, and types and severity of injuries in the State.

(B) The department may collect, as considered necessary and appropriate, data and information regarding patients admitted to a facility through the emergency department, through a trauma center, or directly to a special care unit. Data and information must be collected in a manner that protects and maintains the confidential nature of patient and staff identifying information.

(C) Records and reports made pursuant to this section must be held confidential within the department and must not be available to the public, admissible as evidence, or subject to discovery by subpoena. Information that identifies individual patients must not be disclosed publicly without the patient's consent.

(D) All data collection and data inquiry activity shall follow federally established Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guidelines.

HISTORY: 2004 Act No. 232, SECTION 1, eff May 11, 2004.