SB368 would amend Hawaii law governing patient access to medical records by adding a new requirement that health care providers furnish a patient’s detailed billing records within ten working days of a request. It also requires providers to give written notice when a patient has a credit balance on the account after services have been rendered and paid for. In addition, the bill revises the existing medical-records access statute to reaffirm that patient requests must be handled in a timely manner under federal HIPAA-related rules, subject to the current exception where a provider believes direct release would be detrimental to the patient’s health.
The bill also creates a new penalty section covering violations of the existing medical-records access law and the new billing-records requirements, although the specific fine amounts are left blank in the text provided. If enacted, it would add new duties for health care providers and expand patient rights to obtain billing information and be informed of account credits, while preserving the provider’s ability to route records through the patient’s attorney in limited circumstances.
Impact
SB368 would amend chapter 622 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes by adding two new sections on billing records and penalties and by revising section 622-57(a) on medical-record requests. The practical effect is to impose a statutory deadline for producing detailed billing records, require notice of patient account credits, and reinforce the timeliness standard for medical-record disclosures. Health care providers, as defined in section 671-1, would be the primary regulated parties, and patients would gain clearer access rights and notice protections.
Sentiment
The available materials suggest generally favorable treatment of the bill, with the measure framed as a consumer- and patient-protection bill aimed at improving transparency in medical billing and record access. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of opposition or support from legislators in the supplied record. The bill’s description emphasizes administrative clarity and patient notice rather than a major policy shift, which suggests a largely practical, noncontroversial intent.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are the new compliance obligations on health care providers, especially the ten-working-day turnaround for billing records and the requirement to notify patients of account credits. Another possible issue is the penalty provision, since the bill text leaves the fine amounts blank, indicating unresolved drafting details that could affect enforcement. The existing exception allowing providers to withhold records if disclosure would be detrimental to the patient’s health may also remain a point of interest, though the bill does not change that standard.