The TMA Legal Department has crafted a template policy for member medical practices to adapt to the needs of their practices to be in compliance with the Colby Stansberry Act of 2010. Enacted by the Tennessee General Assembly and effective on April 30, 2010, the Act requires healthcare providers to have policies limiting the disclosure of medical records, images, videos, and pictures intended for educational purposes, even if such patient information is de-identified. While the TMA argued strenuously that existing HIPAA privacy laws were adequate to protect such patient information, the law passed and the TMA believes it is in the best interest of its members to have a policy in place that directly reflects the mandates of this legislation.
The TMA is providing this template Colby Stansberry Act policy to TMA members at no cost as a benefit of membership in response to unfunded mandates created by this law. Not all medical practices operate the same; as such, this template is designed to allow TMA members to tailor it to the individual needs of their practices. This template will save members’ staff countless hours in preparing a policy to comply with the Act, accentuating the value of having all members of medical practices as members in TMA.
The Colby Stansberry Act Policy Template is available in the TMA online Law Guide (member login required).