US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

      Sec. 52-146o. Disclosure of patient communication or information by physician, surgeon or health care provider prohibited. (a) Except as provided in sections 52-146c to 52-146j, inclusive, and subsection (b) of this section, in any civil action or any proceeding preliminary thereto or in any probate, legislative or administrative proceeding, a physician or surgeon, as defined in subsection (b) of section 20-7b, shall not disclose (1) any communication made to him by, or any information obtained by him from, a patient or the conservator or guardian of a patient with respect to any actual or supposed physical or mental disease or disorder or (2) any information obtained by personal examination of a patient, unless the patient or his authorized representative explicitly consents to such disclosure.

      (b) Consent of the patient or his authorized representative shall not be required for the disclosure of such communication or information (1) pursuant to any statute or regulation of any state agency or the rules of court, (2) by a physician, surgeon or other licensed health care provider against whom a claim has been made, or there is a reasonable belief will be made, in such action or proceeding, to his attorney or professional liability insurer or such insurer's agent for use in the defense of such action or proceeding, (3) to the Commissioner of Public Health for records of a patient of a physician, surgeon or health care provider in connection with an investigation of a complaint, if such records are related to the complaint, or (4) if child abuse, abuse of an elderly individual, abuse of an individual who is physically disabled or incompetent or abuse of an individual with mental retardation is known or in good faith suspected.

      (P.A. 90-177; P.A. 91-141; P.A. 96-47, S. 13.)

      History: P.A. 91-141 rephrased provisions re exceptions to the prohibition on disclosure and amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdiv. (2) re disclosure to the attorney or professional liability insurer of a physician, surgeon or licensed health care provider and Subdiv. (3) re disclosure when abuse of certain individuals is known or suspected; P.A. 96-47 deleted "or other licensed health care provider" in Subsec. (a), adding reference to definitions in Subsec. (b) of Sec. 20-7b and inserted new Subdiv. (3) in Subsec. (b) authorizing disclosure to Commissioner of Public Health, renumbering former Subdiv. as Subdiv. (4) (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (a) the phrase "..., a physician, surgeon, as defined in ..." was changed editorially by the Revisors to "..., a physician or surgeon, as defined in ...").

      Cited. 225 C. 700, 703. Cited. 240 C. 658.

      Statutory privilege for medical records does not apply to criminal proceedings. 74 CA 633.

      Subsec. (a):

      Cited. 240 C. 658.

      Subsec. (b):

      Cited. 240 C. 658. Subdiv. (3) cited. Id.