HB210 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Paul W. LeeRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Public Health Dept., statewide collection of hospital discharge data required, Hospital Discharge Data Advisory Council established

Summary

HB210 requires the Alabama Department of Public Health to collect and analyze hospital discharge data, create a Council to guide the rules, share data with safeguards, and enforce penalties for noncompliance.

What This Bill Does

The bill requires the Department of Public Health to establish systems to collect inpatient and outpatient discharge data from hospitals and to make some data available to the Alabama Hospital Association and the public in a de-identified, HIPAA-compatible form. Hospitals must start submitting discharge data quarterly beginning April 1, 2022, with reports limited to the most recent three months of data. It creates the Hospital Discharge Data Advisory Council to help set rules and oversee data handling, and it establishes civil penalties for late or incomplete reporting, along with confidentiality protections for individuals. Publicly disclosed reports must protect patient identity, and the department may publish studies that do not reveal personal information.

Who It Affects

• Hospitals and hospital systems in Alabama, which must collect and submit inpatient and outpatient discharge data on a quarterly schedule and may face civil penalties for delinquent reporting or incomplete data.
• Public stakeholders including the Alabama Hospital Association (which receives data for internal use), insurers, Medicaid, and the general public, who will access de-identified discharge data under strict confidentiality and HIPAA guidelines.

Key Provisions

• The Department of Public Health must establish and maintain discharge data collection systems and processes, with operational status by January 1, 2022.
• Hospitals must submit discharge data quarterly starting April 1, 2022, with data limited to the three months preceding each report.
• Discharge data is shared with the Alabama Hospital Association for internal use and not publicly distributed except as allowed by rules; no patient-identifying information may be disclosed publicly.
• The department must adopt rules to implement the act, and may contract for services as needed.
• A Hospital Discharge Data Advisory Council is created, with specified membership from hospitals, physicians, Blue Cross Blue Shield, a consumer representative, and state health agencies; it will advise on rulemaking and data protection and operate under open meetings provisions.
• Civil penalties: hospitals owe 5 cents per patient discharge record per day for delinquent reports (up to $10 per record); penalties can be challenged, waived in certain cases, and may affect license renewals.
• Individually identifiable discharge data is confidential; public reports must not identify patients; the act does not create new private causes of action and preserves existing privacy protections.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Public Health Department