                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS; PUBLICATION; COMMISSIONER REQUIRED TO CONTACT
PARENTS, PHYSICIANS, AND RELEVANT LOCAL EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM (§
32.1-64.2)

The Commissioner and all other persons to whom data is submitted pursuant to §
32.1-64.1 shall keep such information confidential. No publication of research
or statistical data shall be made that identifies any infant with hearing loss
or risk of hearing loss. The Commissioner shall contact the parents of children
identified with hearing loss or at risk of hearing loss, their physicians, and
the relevant local early intervention program to provide them with information
about available public and private health care and educational resources,
including any hearing loss clinics.
		The Commissioner may authorize linkages between secure electronic data systems
maintained by the Department of Health containing newborn hearing screening
records and the Virginia Immunization Information System (VIIS) operated
pursuant to § 32.1-46.01. The Commissioner may authorize health care providers
authorized to view VIIS to view newborn hearing screening records of individuals
to whom the providers are providing health care services. The records may be
made available until the child reaches seven years of age, after which the
records shall not be made available through a linkage to VIIS. Such linkages
shall be subject to all applicable state and federal privacy laws and
regulations.

HISTORY: 1986, c. 419; 1998, cc. 505, 506, 513; 2012, c. 147; 2019, c. 288.