New York Assembly Bill A05316

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/13/25
• Refer: 2/13/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Requires medical records to be made available to patients in an electronic format through a web portal and in a format that allows patients to save records to their own device; requires electronic medical records systems to give qualified persons access to records in a single, secure format and to establish policies and procedures to endure confidentiality.

Summary

This bill amends New York’s Public Health Law, section 18, to require that, when a qualified person requests medical records that must otherwise be released under existing law, electronic medical records be provided in an electronic format through a web portal. The records must also be downloadable or otherwise savable to the requester’s own device. In practical terms, the bill is aimed at making patient access to records easier, faster, and more usable in digital form. The bill also directs the Department of Health, within 180 days after the law takes effect, to adopt regulations for electronic medical records systems. Those regulations must require systems to support a single, secure electronic format for patient access that can be updated automatically by the provider, and to maintain policies and procedures that comply with state and federal confidentiality requirements. The act would take effect 180 days after becoming law.

Impact

The measure would expand and modernize patient access rights under the Public Health Law by adding a specific requirement that covered electronic medical records be delivered through a web portal and in a format that can be saved to a personal device. It would also impose new regulatory obligations on electronic medical records systems and health care providers to ensure secure, standardized access and continued compliance with privacy and confidentiality rules, including HIPAA-related protections.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be a straightforward consumer-access and health IT modernization measure with an informationally positive policy direction. Its stated goals suggest support for easier patient access to records, improved portability, and stronger digital record handling standards. No formal opposition or recorded controversy is shown in the supplied history.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are implementation and compliance burdens. Health care providers, hospitals, and electronic medical records vendors may be concerned about the cost and technical complexity of building or modifying systems to provide secure web-portal access and downloadable records in a single format. Privacy and security requirements could also raise questions about how to balance easier patient access with confidentiality protections, especially for sensitive medical information. No specific opposing stakeholders or objections are identified in the provided record.