(a) The Department of Health Care Access and Information may impose a fine not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) against a hospital that fails to adopt, update, or submit an equity report consistent with this article and any implementing regulations adopted by the department.
(b) The department may grant a hospital an automatic 60-day extension to submit an equity report.
(c) The department shall annually prepare, and post on its internet website, a report that includes a list of all hospitals that failed to submit equity reports.
(d) The department shall make all equity reports submitted pursuant to this article available to the public on its internet website.
(e) Data and information posted on hospital internet websites and submitted to and made public by the department shall be disclosed in a manner that protects the personal information of patients pursuant to deidentification requirements as specified by the department, as well as any state and federal privacy laws, including the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (Part 2.6 (commencing with Section 56) of Division 1 of the Civil Code) and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-191).
(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 751, Sec. 2. (AB 1204) Effective January 1, 2022.)