102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB4640

 

Introduced 1/21/2022, by Rep. Deb Conroy

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act
20 ILCS 2305/2  from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 22
410 ILCS 535/24  from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 73-24
720 ILCS 570/318

    Creates the Access to Public Health Data Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Children and Family Services shall, at the request of a local health department in Illinois, make any and all public health data related to residents of that local health department's jurisdiction available to that local health department for the purposes of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability. Provides that the Department of Public Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Children and Family Services may adopt any rules necessary to implement the Act. Contains other provisions. Amends the Department of Public Health Act. Provides that emergency access to medical or health information, records, or data shall include access to electronic health records, provided that the local health authority shall be unable to alter the electronic health records. Provides that a person, facility, institution, or agency providing information under the provisions may withhold a patient's mental or behavioral health history. Amends the Vital Records Act. Provides that no rule adopted by the Department of Public Health shall be construed as restricting access to vital records by any municipality, county, multicounty, public health district, or regional health officer recognized by the Department for the purposes described in specified provisions. Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health may release specified confidential information to a certified local health department engaged in the performance of epidemiological studies, the application of data science methods, or other analytic models that protect and promote public health. Makes other changes.


LRB102 22205 CPF 31335 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4640LRB102 22205 CPF 31335 b

1    AN ACT concerning health.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Access
5to Public Health Data Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act, "public
7health data" includes, but is not limited to, birth and death
8certificate data, hospital discharge data, adverse pregnancy
9outcomes reporting system (APORS) data, cancer registry data,
10pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system (PRAMS) data,
11syndromic surveillance data, and prescription monitoring
12program (PMP) data.
 
13    Section 10. Access to public health data; local health
14departments.
15    (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of State law to
16the contrary, the Department of Public Health, the Department
17of Human Services, and the Department of Children and Family
18Services shall, at the request of a local health department in
19this State, make any and all public health data related to
20residents of that local health department's jurisdiction
21available to that local health department for the purposes of
22preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability. The

 

 

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1commissioner, executive director, chief operating officer,
2chief medical officer, or equivalent executive leader of a
3local health department has express authority to request and
4receive such data.
5    (b) The Department of Public Health, the Department of
6Human Services, the Department of Children and Family
7Services, and the requesting local health department shall
8apply appropriate safeguards to ensure the privacy and
9security of the data.
 
10    Section 15. Date use agreements. The Department of Public
11Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of
12Children and Family Services, and the requesting local health
13department may enter into data use agreements to ensure
14appropriate, effective, and efficient use of data requested by
15the local health department, though no data use agreement
16shall restrict local health department access to any public
17health data available to the Department of Public Health, the
18Department of Human Services, or the Department of Children
19and Family Services, nor shall it require indemnification as a
20prerequisite to access.
 
21    Section 20. Standard request data forms. Within 60 days
22after the effective date of this Act, the Department of Public
23Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department
24of Children and Family Services shall develop a standard data

 

 

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1request form for use by local health departments, the terms of
2which shall be limited to data content, format, method of
3transfer, analytic and statistical methods, scope of use, and
4requirements for safeguarding the data.
 
5    Section 25. Latest available data. The Department of
6Public Health, the Department of Human Services, and the
7Department of Children and Family Services must provide the
8latest available data for each local health department request
9within 90 business days after receiving the data request form.
 
10    Section 30. Rules. The Department of Public Health, the
11Department of Human Services, and the Department of Children
12and Family Services may adopt any rules necessary to implement
13this Act.
 
14    Section 35. The Department of Public Health Act is amended
15by changing Section 2 as follows:
 
16    (20 ILCS 2305/2)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 22)
17    Sec. 2. Powers.
18    (a) The State Department of Public Health has general
19supervision of the interests of the health and lives of the
20people of the State. It has supreme authority in matters of
21quarantine and isolation, and may declare and enforce
22quarantine and isolation when none exists, and may modify or

 

 

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1relax quarantine and isolation when it has been established.
2The Department may adopt, promulgate, repeal and amend rules
3and regulations and make such sanitary investigations and
4inspections as it may from time to time deem necessary for the
5preservation and improvement of the public health, consistent
6with law regulating the following:
7        (1) Transportation of the remains of deceased persons.
8        (2) Sanitary practices relating to drinking water made
9    accessible to the public for human consumption or for
10    lavatory or culinary purposes.
11        (3) Sanitary practices relating to rest room
12    facilities made accessible to the public or to persons
13    handling food served to the public.
14        (4) Sanitary practices relating to disposal of human
15    wastes in or from all buildings and places where people
16    live, work or assemble.
17    The provisions of the Illinois Administrative Procedure
18Act are hereby expressly adopted and shall apply to all
19administrative rules and procedures of the Department of
20Public Health under this Act, except that Section 5-35 of the
21Illinois Administrative Procedure Act relating to procedures
22for rule-making does not apply to the adoption of any rule
23required by federal law in connection with which the
24Department is precluded by law from exercising any discretion.
25    All local boards of health, health authorities and
26officers, police officers, sheriffs and all other officers and

 

 

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1employees of the state or any locality shall enforce the rules
2and regulations so adopted and orders issued by the Department
3pursuant to this Section.
4    The Department of Public Health shall conduct a public
5information campaign to inform Hispanic women of the high
6incidence of breast cancer and the importance of mammograms
7and where to obtain a mammogram. This requirement may be
8satisfied by translation into Spanish and distribution of the
9breast cancer summaries required by Section 2310-345 of the
10Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law (20 ILCS
112310/2310-345). The information provided by the Department of
12Public Health shall include (i) a statement that mammography
13is the most accurate method for making an early detection of
14breast cancer, however, no diagnostic tool is 100% effective
15and (ii) instructions for performing breast self-examination
16and a statement that it is important to perform a breast
17self-examination monthly.
18    The Department of Public Health shall investigate the
19causes of dangerously contagious or infectious diseases,
20especially when existing in epidemic form, and take means to
21restrict and suppress the same, and whenever such disease
22becomes, or threatens to become epidemic, in any locality and
23the local board of health or local authorities neglect or
24refuse to enforce efficient measures for its restriction or
25suppression or to act with sufficient promptness or
26efficiency, or whenever the local board of health or local

 

 

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1authorities neglect or refuse to promptly enforce efficient
2measures for the restriction or suppression of dangerously
3contagious or infectious diseases, the Department of Public
4Health may enforce such measures as it deems necessary to
5protect the public health, and all necessary expenses so
6incurred shall be paid by the locality for which services are
7rendered.
8    (b) Subject to the provisions of subsection (c), the
9Department may order a person or group of persons to be
10quarantined or isolated or may order a place to be closed and
11made off limits to the public to prevent the probable spread of
12a dangerously contagious or infectious disease, including
13non-compliant tuberculosis patients, until such time as the
14condition can be corrected or the danger to the public health
15eliminated or reduced in such a manner that no substantial
16danger to the public's health any longer exists. Orders for
17isolation of a person or quarantine of a place to prevent the
18probable spread of a sexually transmissible disease shall be
19governed by the provisions of Section 7 of the Illinois
20Sexually Transmissible Disease Control Act and not this
21Section.
22    (c) Except as provided in this Section, no person or a
23group of persons may be ordered to be quarantined or isolated
24and no place may be ordered to be closed and made off limits to
25the public except with the consent of the person or owner of
26the place or upon the prior order of a court of competent

 

 

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1jurisdiction. The Department may, however, order a person or a
2group of persons to be quarantined or isolated or may order a
3place to be closed and made off limits to the public on an
4immediate basis without prior consent or court order if, in
5the reasonable judgment of the Department, immediate action is
6required to protect the public from a dangerously contagious
7or infectious disease. In the event of an immediate order
8issued without prior consent or court order, the Department
9shall, as soon as practical, within 48 hours after issuing the
10order, obtain the consent of the person or owner or file a
11petition requesting a court order authorizing the isolation or
12quarantine or closure. When exigent circumstances exist that
13cause the court system to be unavailable or that make it
14impossible to obtain consent or file a petition within 48
15hours after issuance of an immediate order, the Department
16must obtain consent or file a petition requesting a court
17order as soon as reasonably possible. To obtain a court order,
18the Department, by clear and convincing evidence, must prove
19that the public's health and welfare are significantly
20endangered by a person or group of persons that has, that is
21suspected of having, that has been exposed to, or that is
22reasonably believed to have been exposed to a dangerously
23contagious or infectious disease including non-compliant
24tuberculosis patients or by a place where there is a
25significant amount of activity likely to spread a dangerously
26contagious or infectious disease. The Department must also

 

 

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1prove that all other reasonable means of correcting the
2problem have been exhausted and no less restrictive
3alternative exists. For purposes of this subsection, in
4determining whether no less restrictive alternative exists,
5the court shall consider evidence showing that, under the
6circumstances presented by the case in which an order is
7sought, quarantine or isolation is the measure provided for in
8a rule of the Department or in guidelines issued by the Centers
9for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health
10Organization. Persons who are or are about to be ordered to be
11isolated or quarantined and owners of places that are or are
12about to be closed and made off limits to the public shall have
13the right to counsel. If a person or owner is indigent, the
14court shall appoint counsel for that person or owner. Persons
15who are ordered to be isolated or quarantined or who are owners
16of places that are ordered to be closed and made off limits to
17the public, shall be given a written notice of such order. The
18written notice shall additionally include the following: (1)
19notice of the right to counsel; (2) notice that if the person
20or owner is indigent, the court will appoint counsel for that
21person or owner; (3) notice of the reason for the order for
22isolation, quarantine, or closure; (4) notice of whether the
23order is an immediate order, and if so, the time frame for the
24Department to seek consent or to file a petition requesting a
25court order as set out in this subsection; and (5) notice of
26the anticipated duration of the isolation, quarantine, or

 

 

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1closure.
2    (d) The Department may order physical examinations and
3tests and collect laboratory specimens as necessary for the
4diagnosis or treatment of individuals in order to prevent the
5probable spread of a dangerously contagious or infectious
6disease. Physical examinations, tests, or collection of
7laboratory specimens must not be such as are reasonably likely
8to lead to serious harm to the affected individual. To prevent
9the spread of a dangerously contagious or infectious disease,
10the Department may, pursuant to the provisions of subsection
11(c) of this Section, isolate or quarantine any person whose
12refusal of physical examination or testing or collection of
13laboratory specimens results in uncertainty regarding whether
14he or she has been exposed to or is infected with a dangerously
15contagious or infectious disease or otherwise poses a danger
16to the public's health. An individual may refuse to consent to
17a physical examination, test, or collection of laboratory
18specimens. An individual shall be given a written notice that
19shall include notice of the following: (i) that the individual
20may refuse to consent to physical examination, test, or
21collection of laboratory specimens; (ii) that if the
22individual consents to physical examination, tests, or
23collection of laboratory specimens, the results of that
24examination, test, or collection of laboratory specimens may
25subject the individual to isolation or quarantine pursuant to
26the provisions of subsection (c) of this Section; (iii) that

 

 

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1if the individual refuses to consent to physical examination,
2tests, or collection of laboratory specimens and that refusal
3results in uncertainty regarding whether he or she has been
4exposed to or is infected with a dangerously contagious or
5infectious disease or otherwise poses a danger to the public's
6health, the individual may be subject to isolation or
7quarantine pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of
8this Section; and (iv) that if the individual refuses to
9consent to physical examinations, tests, or collection of
10laboratory specimens and becomes subject to isolation and
11quarantine as provided in this subsection (d), he or she shall
12have the right to counsel pursuant to the provisions of
13subsection (c) of this Section. To the extent feasible without
14endangering the public's health, the Department shall respect
15and accommodate the religious beliefs of individuals in
16implementing this subsection.
17    (e) The Department may order the administration of
18vaccines, medications, or other treatments to persons as
19necessary in order to prevent the probable spread of a
20dangerously contagious or infectious disease. A vaccine,
21medication, or other treatment to be administered must not be
22such as is reasonably likely to lead to serious harm to the
23affected individual. To prevent the spread of a dangerously
24contagious or infectious disease, the Department may, pursuant
25to the provisions of subsection (c) of this Section, isolate
26or quarantine persons who are unable or unwilling to receive

 

 

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1vaccines, medications, or other treatments pursuant to this
2Section. An individual may refuse to receive vaccines,
3medications, or other treatments. An individual shall be given
4a written notice that shall include notice of the following:
5(i) that the individual may refuse to consent to vaccines,
6medications, or other treatments; (ii) that if the individual
7refuses to receive vaccines, medications, or other treatments,
8the individual may be subject to isolation or quarantine
9pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of this Section;
10and (iii) that if the individual refuses to receive vaccines,
11medications, or other treatments and becomes subject to
12isolation or quarantine as provided in this subsection (e), he
13or she shall have the right to counsel pursuant to the
14provisions of subsection (c) of this Section. To the extent
15feasible without endangering the public's health, the
16Department shall respect and accommodate the religious beliefs
17of individuals in implementing this subsection.
18    (f) The Department may order observation and monitoring of
19persons to prevent the probable spread of a dangerously
20contagious or infectious disease. To prevent the spread of a
21dangerously contagious or infectious disease, the Department
22may, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of this
23Section, isolate or quarantine persons whose refusal to
24undergo observation and monitoring results in uncertainty
25regarding whether he or she has been exposed to or is infected
26with a dangerously contagious or infectious disease or

 

 

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1otherwise poses a danger to the public's health. An individual
2may refuse to undergo observation and monitoring. An
3individual shall be given written notice that shall include
4notice of the following: (i) that the individual may refuse to
5undergo observation and monitoring; (ii) that if the
6individual consents to observation and monitoring, the results
7of that observation and monitoring may subject the individual
8to isolation or quarantine pursuant to the provisions of
9subsection (c) of this Section; (iii) that if the individual
10refuses to undergo observation and monitoring and that refusal
11results in uncertainty regarding whether he or she has been
12exposed to or is infected with a dangerously contagious or
13infectious disease or otherwise poses a danger to the public's
14health, the individual may be subject to isolation or
15quarantine pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of
16this Section; and (iv) that if the individual refuses to
17undergo observation and monitoring and becomes subject to
18isolation or quarantine as provided in this subsection (f), he
19or she shall have the right to counsel pursuant to the
20provisions of subsection (c) of this Section.
21    (g) To prevent the spread of a dangerously contagious or
22infectious disease among humans, the Department may examine,
23test, disinfect, seize, or destroy animals or other related
24property believed to be sources of infection. An owner of such
25animal or other related property shall be given written notice
26regarding such examination, testing, disinfection, seizure, or

 

 

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1destruction. When the Department determines that any animal or
2related property is infected with or has been exposed to a
3dangerously contagious or infectious disease, it may agree
4with the owner upon the value of the animal or of any related
5property that it may be found necessary to destroy, and in case
6such an agreement cannot be made, the animals or related
7property shall be appraised by 3 competent and disinterested
8appraisers, one to be selected by the Department, one by the
9claimant, and one by the 2 appraisers thus selected. The
10appraisers shall subscribe to an oath made in writing to
11fairly value the animals or related property in accordance
12with the requirements of this Act. The oath, together with the
13valuation fixed by the appraisers, shall be filed with the
14Department and preserved by it. Upon the appraisal being made,
15the owner or the Department shall immediately destroy the
16animals by "humane euthanasia" as that term is defined in
17Section 2.09 of the Humane Care for Animals Act. Dogs and cats,
18however, shall be euthanized pursuant to the provisions of the
19Humane Euthanasia in Animal Shelters Act. The owner or the
20Department shall additionally, dispose of the carcasses, and
21disinfect, change, or destroy the premises occupied by the
22animals, in accordance with rules prescribed by the Department
23governing such destruction and disinfection. Upon his or her
24failure so to do or to cooperate with the Department, the
25Department shall cause the animals or related property to be
26destroyed and disposed of in the same manner, and thereupon

 

 

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1the owner shall forfeit all right to receive any compensation
2for the destruction of the animals or related property. All
3final administrative decisions of the Department hereunder
4shall be subject to judicial review pursuant to the provisions
5of the Administrative Review Law, and all amendments and
6modifications thereof, and the rules adopted pursuant thereto.
7The term "administrative decision" is defined as in Section
83-101 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
9    (h) To prevent the spread of a dangerously contagious or
10infectious disease, the Department, local boards of health,
11and local public health authorities shall have emergency
12access to medical or health information or records or data
13upon the condition that the Department, local boards of
14health, and local public health authorities shall protect the
15privacy and confidentiality of any medical or health
16information or records or data obtained pursuant to this
17Section in accordance with federal and State law. Emergency
18access to medical or health information, records, or data
19shall include access to electronic health records, provided
20that the local public health authority shall be unable to
21alter the electronic health records. A person, facility,
22institution, or agency providing information under this
23subsection may withhold a patient's mental or behavioral
24health history. Additionally, any such medical or health
25information or records or data shall be exempt from inspection
26and copying under the Freedom of Information Act. Other than a

 

 

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1hearing for the purpose of this Act, any information, records,
2reports, statements, notes, memoranda, or other data in the
3possession of the Department, local boards of health, or local
4public health authorities shall not be admissible as evidence,
5nor discoverable in any action of any kind in any court or
6before any tribunal, board, agency, or person. The access to
7or disclosure of any of this information or data by the
8Department, a local board of health, or a local public
9authority shall not waive or have any effect upon its
10non-discoverability or non-admissibility. Any person,
11facility, institution, or agency that provides emergency
12access to health information and data under this subsection
13shall have immunity from any civil or criminal liability, or
14any other type of liability that might otherwise result by
15reason of these actions except in the event of willful and
16wanton misconduct. The privileged quality of communication
17between any professional person or any facility shall not
18constitute grounds for failure to provide emergency access.
19Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the sharing of
20information as authorized in Section 2.1 of this Act. The
21disclosure of any of this information, records, reports,
22statements, notes, memoranda, or other data obtained in any
23activity under this Act, except that necessary for the
24purposes of this Act, is unlawful, and any person convicted of
25violating this provision is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
26        (i) (A) The Department, in order to prevent and

 

 

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1    control disease, injury, or disability among citizens of
2    the State of Illinois, may develop and implement, in
3    consultation with local public health authorities, a
4    Statewide system for syndromic data collection through the
5    access to interoperable networks, information exchanges,
6    and databases. The Department may also develop a system
7    for the reporting of comprehensive, integrated data to
8    identify and address unusual occurrences of disease
9    symptoms and other medical complexes affecting the
10    public's health.
11        (B) The Department may enter into contracts or
12    agreements with individuals, corporations, hospitals,
13    universities, not-for-profit corporations, governmental
14    entities, or other organizations, whereby those
15    individuals or entities agree to provide assistance in the
16    compilation of the syndromic data collection and reporting
17    system.
18        (C) The Department shall not release any syndromic
19    data or information obtained pursuant to this subsection
20    to any individuals or entities for purposes other than the
21    protection of the public health. All access to data by the
22    Department, reports made to the Department, the identity
23    of or facts that would tend to lead to the identity of the
24    individual who is the subject of the report, and the
25    identity of or facts that would tend to lead to the
26    identity of the author of the report shall be strictly

 

 

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1    confidential, are not subject to inspection or
2    dissemination, and shall be used only for public health
3    purposes by the Department, local public health
4    authorities, or the Centers for Disease Control and
5    Prevention. Entities or individuals submitting reports or
6    providing access to the Department shall not be held
7    liable for the release of information or confidential data
8    to the Department in accordance with this subsection.
9        (D) Nothing in this subsection prohibits the sharing
10    of information as authorized in Section 2.1 of this Act.
11    (j) This Section shall be considered supplemental to the
12existing authority and powers of the Department and shall not
13be construed to restrain or restrict the Department in
14protecting the public health under any other provisions of the
15law.
16    (k) Any person who knowingly or maliciously disseminates
17any false information or report concerning the existence of
18any dangerously contagious or infectious disease in connection
19with the Department's power of quarantine, isolation and
20closure or refuses to comply with a quarantine, isolation or
21closure order is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
22    (l) The Department of Public Health may establish and
23maintain a chemical and bacteriologic laboratory for the
24examination of water and wastes, and for the diagnosis of
25diphtheria, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, malarial fever and
26such other diseases as it deems necessary for the protection

 

 

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1of the public health.
2    As used in this Act, "locality" means any governmental
3agency which exercises power pertaining to public health in an
4area less than the State.
5    The terms "sanitary investigations and inspections" and
6"sanitary practices" as used in this Act shall not include or
7apply to "Public Water Supplies" or "Sewage Works" as defined
8in the Environmental Protection Act. The Department may adopt
9rules that are reasonable and necessary to implement and
10effectuate this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly.
11    (m) The public health measures set forth in subsections
12(a) through (h) of this Section may be used by the Department
13to respond to chemical, radiological, or nuclear agents or
14events. The individual provisions of subsections (a) through
15(h) of this Section apply to any order issued by the Department
16under this Section. The provisions of subsection (k) apply to
17chemical, radiological, or nuclear agents or events. Prior to
18the Department issuing an order for public health measures set
19forth in this Act for chemical, radiological, or nuclear
20agents or events as authorized in subsection (m), the
21Department and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency shall
22consult in accordance with the Illinois emergency response
23framework. When responding to chemical, radiological, or
24nuclear agents or events, the Department shall determine the
25health related risks and appropriate public health response
26measures and provide recommendations for response to the

 

 

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1Illinois Emergency Management Agency. Nothing in this Section
2shall supersede the current National Incident Management
3System and the Illinois Emergency Operation Plan or response
4plans and procedures established pursuant to IEMA statutes.
5(Source: P.A. 96-698, eff. 8-25-09.)
 
6    Section 40. The Vital Records Act is amended by changing
7Section 24 as follows:
 
8    (410 ILCS 535/24)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 73-24)
9    Sec. 24. (1) To protect the integrity of vital records, to
10insure their proper use, and to insure the efficient and
11proper administration of the vital records system, access to
12vital records, and indexes thereof, including vital records in
13the custody of local registrars and county clerks originating
14prior to January 1, 1916, is limited to the custodian and his
15employees, and then only for administrative purposes, except
16that the indexes of those records in the custody of local
17registrars and county clerks, originating prior to January 1,
181916, shall be made available to persons for the purpose of
19genealogical research. Original, photographic or
20microphotographic reproductions of original records of births
21100 years old and older and deaths 50 years old and older, and
22marriage records 75 years old and older on file in the State
23Office of Vital Records and in the custody of the county clerks
24may be made available for inspection in the Illinois State

 

 

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1Archives reference area, Illinois Regional Archives
2Depositories, and other libraries approved by the Illinois
3State Registrar and the Director of the Illinois State
4Archives, provided that the photographic or microphotographic
5copies are made at no cost to the county or to the State of
6Illinois. It is unlawful for any custodian to permit
7inspection of, or to disclose information contained in, vital
8records, or to copy or permit to be copied, all or part of any
9such record except as authorized by this Act or regulations
10adopted pursuant thereto.
11    (2) The State Registrar of Vital Records, or his agent,
12and any municipal, county, multi-county, public health
13district, or regional health officer recognized by the
14Department may examine vital records for the purpose only of
15carrying out the public health programs and responsibilities
16under his jurisdiction.
17    (3) The State Registrar of Vital Records, may disclose, or
18authorize the disclosure of, data contained in the vital
19records when deemed essential for bona fide research purposes
20which are not for private gain.
21    This amendatory Act of 1973 does not apply to any home rule
22unit.
23    (4) The State Registrar shall exchange with the Department
24of Healthcare and Family Services information that may be
25necessary for the establishment of paternity and the
26establishment, modification, and enforcement of child support

 

 

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1orders entered pursuant to the Illinois Public Aid Code, the
2Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, the
3Non-Support of Spouse and Children Act, the Non-Support
4Punishment Act, the Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of
5Support Act, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, the
6Illinois Parentage Act of 1984, or the Illinois Parentage Act
7of 2015. Notwithstanding any provisions in this Act to the
8contrary, the State Registrar shall not be liable to any
9person for any disclosure of information to the Department of
10Healthcare and Family Services (formerly Illinois Department
11of Public Aid) under this subsection or for any other action
12taken in good faith to comply with the requirements of this
13subsection.
14    (5) No rule adopted by the Department shall be construed,
15either explicitly or implicitly, as restricting access to
16vital records by any municipality, county, multicounty, public
17health district, or regional health officer recognized by the
18Department for the purposes described in subsections (2) and
19(3).
20(Source: P.A. 99-85, eff. 1-1-16.)
 
21    Section 45. The Illinois Controlled Substances Act is
22amended by changing Section 318 as follows:
 
23    (720 ILCS 570/318)
24    Sec. 318. Confidentiality of information.

 

 

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1    (a) Information received by the central repository under
2Section 316 and former Section 321 is confidential.
3    (a-1) To ensure the federal Health Insurance Portability
4and Accountability Act privacy of an individual's prescription
5data reported to the Prescription Monitoring Program received
6from a retail dispenser under this Act, and in order to execute
7the duties and responsibilities under Section 316 of this Act
8and rules for disclosure under this Section, the Clinical
9Director of the Prescription Monitoring Program or his or her
10designee shall maintain direct access to all Prescription
11Monitoring Program data. Any request for Prescription
12Monitoring Program data from any other department or agency
13must be approved in writing by the Clinical Director of the
14Prescription Monitoring Program or his or her designee unless
15otherwise permitted by law. Prescription Monitoring Program
16data shall only be disclosed as permitted by law.
17    (a-2) As an active step to address the current opioid
18crisis in this State and to prevent and reduce addiction
19resulting from a sports injury or an accident, the
20Prescription Monitoring Program and the Department of Public
21Health shall coordinate a continuous review of the
22Prescription Monitoring Program and the Department of Public
23Health data to determine if a patient may be at risk of opioid
24addiction. Each patient discharged from any medical facility
25with an International Classification of Disease, 10th edition
26code related to a sport or accident injury shall be subject to

 

 

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1the data review. If the discharged patient is dispensed a
2controlled substance, the Prescription Monitoring Program
3shall alert the patient's prescriber as to the addiction risk
4and urge each to follow the Centers for Disease Control and
5Prevention guidelines or his or her respective profession's
6treatment guidelines related to the patient's injury. This
7subsection (a-2), other than this sentence, is inoperative on
8or after January 1, 2024.
9    (b) The Department must carry out a program to protect the
10confidentiality of the information described in subsection
11(a). The Department may disclose the information to another
12person only under subsection (c), (d), or (f) and may charge a
13fee not to exceed the actual cost of furnishing the
14information.
15    (c) The Department may disclose confidential information
16described in subsection (a) to any person who is engaged in
17receiving, processing, or storing the information.
18    (d) The Department may release confidential information
19described in subsection (a) to the following persons:
20        (1) A governing body that licenses practitioners and
21    is engaged in an investigation, an adjudication, or a
22    prosecution of a violation under any State or federal law
23    that involves a controlled substance.
24        (2) An investigator for the Consumer Protection
25    Division of the office of the Attorney General, a
26    prosecuting attorney, the Attorney General, a deputy

 

 

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1    Attorney General, or an investigator from the office of
2    the Attorney General, who is engaged in any of the
3    following activities involving controlled substances:
4            (A) an investigation;
5            (B) an adjudication; or
6            (C) a prosecution of a violation under any State
7        or federal law that involves a controlled substance.
8        (3) A law enforcement officer who is:
9            (A) authorized by the Illinois State Police or the
10        office of a county sheriff or State's Attorney or
11        municipal police department of Illinois to receive
12        information of the type requested for the purpose of
13        investigations involving controlled substances; or
14            (B) approved by the Department to receive
15        information of the type requested for the purpose of
16        investigations involving controlled substances; and
17            (C) engaged in the investigation or prosecution of
18        a violation under any State or federal law that
19        involves a controlled substance.
20        (4) Select representatives of the Department of
21    Children and Family Services through the indirect online
22    request process. Access shall be established by an
23    intergovernmental agreement between the Department of
24    Children and Family Services and the Department of Human
25    Services.
26        (5) A certified local health department engaged in the

 

 

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1    performance of epidemiological studies, the application of
2    data science methods, or other analytic models that
3    protect and promote public health.
4    (e) Except in the case of release under paragraph (5) of
5subsection (d) of confidential information to a certified
6local health department for the purpose of the performance of
7epidemiological studies, the application of data science
8methods, or other analytic models that protect and promote
9public health, before Before the Department releases
10confidential information under subsection (d), the applicant
11must demonstrate in writing to the Department that:
12        (1) the applicant has reason to believe that a
13    violation under any State or federal law that involves a
14    controlled substance has occurred; and
15        (2) the requested information is reasonably related to
16    the investigation, adjudication, or prosecution of the
17    violation described in subdivision (1).
18    (f) The Department may receive and release prescription
19record information under Section 316 and former Section 321
20to:
21        (1) a governing body that licenses practitioners;
22        (2) an investigator for the Consumer Protection
23    Division of the office of the Attorney General, a
24    prosecuting attorney, the Attorney General, a deputy
25    Attorney General, or an investigator from the office of
26    the Attorney General;

 

 

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1        (3) any Illinois law enforcement officer who is:
2            (A) authorized to receive the type of information
3        released; and
4            (B) approved by the Department to receive the type
5        of information released; or
6        (4) prescription monitoring entities in other states
7    per the provisions outlined in subsection (g) and (h)
8    below;
9confidential prescription record information collected under
10Sections 316 and 321 (now repealed) that identifies vendors or
11practitioners, or both, who are prescribing or dispensing
12large quantities of Schedule II, III, IV, or V controlled
13substances outside the scope of their practice, pharmacy, or
14business, as determined by the Advisory Committee created by
15Section 320.
16    (g) The information described in subsection (f) may not be
17released until it has been reviewed by an employee of the
18Department who is licensed as a prescriber or a dispenser and
19until that employee has certified that further investigation
20is warranted. However, failure to comply with this subsection
21(g) does not invalidate the use of any evidence that is
22otherwise admissible in a proceeding described in subsection
23(h).
24    (h) An investigator or a law enforcement officer receiving
25confidential information under subsection (c), (d), or (f) may
26disclose the information to a law enforcement officer or an

 

 

HB4640- 27 -LRB102 22205 CPF 31335 b

1attorney for the office of the Attorney General for use as
2evidence in the following:
3        (1) A proceeding under any State or federal law that
4    involves a controlled substance.
5        (2) A criminal proceeding or a proceeding in juvenile
6    court that involves a controlled substance.
7    (i) The Department may compile statistical reports from
8the information described in subsection (a). The reports must
9not include information that identifies, by name, license or
10address, any practitioner, dispenser, ultimate user, or other
11person administering a controlled substance.
12    (j) Based upon federal, initial and maintenance funding, a
13prescriber and dispenser inquiry system shall be developed to
14assist the health care community in its goal of effective
15clinical practice and to prevent patients from diverting or
16abusing medications.
17        (1) An inquirer shall have read-only access to a
18    stand-alone database which shall contain records for the
19    previous 12 months.
20        (2) Dispensers may, upon positive and secure
21    identification, make an inquiry on a patient or customer
22    solely for a medical purpose as delineated within the
23    federal HIPAA law.
24        (3) The Department shall provide a one-to-one secure
25    link and encrypted software necessary to establish the
26    link between an inquirer and the Department. Technical

 

 

HB4640- 28 -LRB102 22205 CPF 31335 b

1    assistance shall also be provided.
2        (4) Written inquiries are acceptable but must include
3    the fee and the requestor's Drug Enforcement
4    Administration license number and submitted upon the
5    requestor's business stationery.
6        (5) As directed by the Prescription Monitoring Program
7    Advisory Committee and the Clinical Director for the
8    Prescription Monitoring Program, aggregate data that does
9    not indicate any prescriber, practitioner, dispenser, or
10    patient may be used for clinical studies.
11        (6) Tracking analysis shall be established and used
12    per administrative rule.
13        (7) Nothing in this Act or Illinois law shall be
14    construed to require a prescriber or dispenser to make use
15    of this inquiry system.
16        (8) If there is an adverse outcome because of a
17    prescriber or dispenser making an inquiry, which is
18    initiated in good faith, the prescriber or dispenser shall
19    be held harmless from any civil liability.
20    (k) The Department shall establish, by rule, the process
21by which to evaluate possible erroneous association of
22prescriptions to any licensed prescriber or end user of the
23Illinois Prescription Information Library (PIL).
24    (l) The Prescription Monitoring Program Advisory Committee
25is authorized to evaluate the need for and method of
26establishing a patient specific identifier.

 

 

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1    (m) Patients who identify prescriptions attributed to them
2that were not obtained by them shall be given access to their
3personal prescription history pursuant to the validation
4process as set forth by administrative rule.
5    (n) The Prescription Monitoring Program is authorized to
6develop operational push reports to entities with compatible
7electronic medical records. The process shall be covered
8within administrative rule established by the Department.
9    (o) Hospital emergency departments and freestanding
10healthcare facilities providing healthcare to walk-in patients
11may obtain, for the purpose of improving patient care, a
12unique identifier for each shift to utilize the PIL system.
13    (p) The Prescription Monitoring Program shall
14automatically create a log-in to the inquiry system when a
15prescriber or dispenser obtains or renews his or her
16controlled substance license. The Department of Financial and
17Professional Regulation must provide the Prescription
18Monitoring Program with electronic access to the license
19information of a prescriber or dispenser to facilitate the
20creation of this profile. The Prescription Monitoring Program
21shall send the prescriber or dispenser information regarding
22the inquiry system, including instructions on how to log into
23the system, instructions on how to use the system to promote
24effective clinical practice, and opportunities for continuing
25education for the prescribing of controlled substances. The
26Prescription Monitoring Program shall also send to all

 

 

HB4640- 30 -LRB102 22205 CPF 31335 b

1enrolled prescribers, dispensers, and designees information
2regarding the unsolicited reports produced pursuant to Section
3314.5 of this Act.
4    (q) A prescriber or dispenser may authorize a designee to
5consult the inquiry system established by the Department under
6this subsection on his or her behalf, provided that all the
7following conditions are met:
8        (1) the designee so authorized is employed by the same
9    hospital or health care system; is employed by the same
10    professional practice; or is under contract with such
11    practice, hospital, or health care system;
12        (2) the prescriber or dispenser takes reasonable steps
13    to ensure that such designee is sufficiently competent in
14    the use of the inquiry system;
15        (3) the prescriber or dispenser remains responsible
16    for ensuring that access to the inquiry system by the
17    designee is limited to authorized purposes and occurs in a
18    manner that protects the confidentiality of the
19    information obtained from the inquiry system, and remains
20    responsible for any breach of confidentiality; and
21        (4) the ultimate decision as to whether or not to
22    prescribe or dispense a controlled substance remains with
23    the prescriber or dispenser.
24    The Prescription Monitoring Program shall send to
25registered designees information regarding the inquiry system,
26including instructions on how to log onto the system.

 

 

HB4640- 31 -LRB102 22205 CPF 31335 b

1    (r) The Prescription Monitoring Program shall maintain an
2Internet website in conjunction with its prescriber and
3dispenser inquiry system. This website shall include, at a
4minimum, the following information:
5        (1) current clinical guidelines developed by health
6    care professional organizations on the prescribing of
7    opioids or other controlled substances as determined by
8    the Advisory Committee;
9        (2) accredited continuing education programs related
10    to prescribing of controlled substances;
11        (3) programs or information developed by health care
12    professionals that may be used to assess patients or help
13    ensure compliance with prescriptions;
14        (4) updates from the Food and Drug Administration, the
15    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other
16    public and private organizations which are relevant to
17    prescribing;
18        (5) relevant medical studies related to prescribing;
19        (6) other information regarding the prescription of
20    controlled substances; and
21        (7) information regarding prescription drug disposal
22    events, including take-back programs or other disposal
23    options or events.
24    The content of the Internet website shall be periodically
25reviewed by the Prescription Monitoring Program Advisory
26Committee as set forth in Section 320 and updated in

 

 

HB4640- 32 -LRB102 22205 CPF 31335 b

1accordance with the recommendation of the advisory committee.
2    (s) The Prescription Monitoring Program shall regularly
3send electronic updates to the registered users of the
4Program. The Prescription Monitoring Program Advisory
5Committee shall review any communications sent to registered
6users and also make recommendations for communications as set
7forth in Section 320. These updates shall include the
8following information:
9        (1) opportunities for accredited continuing education
10    programs related to prescribing of controlled substances;
11        (2) current clinical guidelines developed by health
12    care professional organizations on the prescribing of
13    opioids or other drugs as determined by the Advisory
14    Committee;
15        (3) programs or information developed by health care
16    professionals that may be used to assess patients or help
17    ensure compliance with prescriptions;
18        (4) updates from the Food and Drug Administration, the
19    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other
20    public and private organizations which are relevant to
21    prescribing;
22        (5) relevant medical studies related to prescribing;
23        (6) other information regarding prescribing of
24    controlled substances;
25        (7) information regarding prescription drug disposal
26    events, including take-back programs or other disposal

 

 

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1    options or events; and
2        (8) reminders that the Prescription Monitoring Program
3    is a useful clinical tool.
4(Source: P.A. 99-480, eff. 9-9-15; 100-125, eff. 1-1-18;
5100-1093, eff. 8-26-18.)