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Texas Statutes (Last Updated: January 4, 2014) |
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HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE |
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Title 9. SAFETY |
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Subtitle B. EMERGENCIES |
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Chapter 773. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES |
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Subchapter D. CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS |
Sec. 773.091. CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS
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(a) A communication between certified emergency medical services personnel or a physician providing medical supervision and a patient that is made in the course of providing emergency medical services to the patient is confidential and privileged and may not be disclosed except as provided by this chapter.
(b) Records of the identity, evaluation, or treatment of a patient by emergency medical services personnel or by a physician providing medical supervision that are created by the emergency medical services personnel or physician or maintained by an emergency medical services provider are confidential and privileged and may not be disclosed except as provided by this chapter.
(c) Any person who receives information from confidential communications or records as described by this chapter, other than a person listed in Section 773.092 who is acting on the survivor's behalf, may not disclose the information except to the extent that disclosure is consistent with the authorized purposes for which the information was obtained.
(d) This subchapter governs confidential communications or records concerning a patient regardless of when the patient received the services of emergency medical services personnel or a physician providing medical supervision.
(e) Notwithstanding Rule 501, Texas Rules of Evidence, the privilege of confidentiality may be claimed in any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding and may be claimed by the patient or the emergency medical services personnel or physician acting on the patient's behalf.
(f) If the emergency medical services personnel or physician claims the privilege of confidentiality on behalf of the patient, the authority to do so is presumed in the absence of evidence to the contrary.
(g) The privilege of confidentiality under this section does not extend to information regarding the presence, nature of injury or illness, age, sex, occupation, and city of residence of a patient who is receiving emergency medical services. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as requiring or permitting emergency services personnel to make a diagnosis.