AB 254: Confidentiality of Medical Information Act: reproductive or sexual health application information.

The Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) prohibits a provider of health care, a health care service plan, a contractor, or a corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliates from intentionally sharing, selling, using for marketing, or otherwise using any medical information, as defined, for any purpose not necessary to provide health care services to a patient, except as provided. The CMIA makes a business that offers software or hardware to consumers, including a mobile application or other related device that is designed to maintain medical information in order to make the information available to an individual or a provider of health care at the request of the individual or a provider of health care, for purposes of allowing the individual to manage the individuals information or for the diagnosis, treatment, or management of a medical condition of the individual, a provider of health care subject to the requirements of the CMIA. Existing law makes a violation of these provisions that results in economic loss or personal injury to a patient punishable as a misdemeanor.

This bill would revise the definition of medical information to include reproductive or sexual health application information, which the bill would define to mean information about a consumers reproductive or sexual health collected by a reproductive or sexual health digital service, as specified. The bill would make a business that offers a reproductive or sexual health digital service to a consumer for the purpose of allowing the individual to manage the individuals information, or for the diagnosis, treatment, or management of a medical condition of the individual, a provider of health care subject to the requirements of the CMIA. Because the bill would expand the scope of a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 56.05 of the Civil Code proposed by AB 1697 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1697 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.