Connecticut General Statutes Title 19A. Public Health and Well-Being § 19a-7. Public health planning. State health plan. Access to certain health care data. Regulations

(a) The Department of Public Health shall be the lead agency for public health planning and shall assist communities in the development of collaborative health planning activities which address public health issues on a regional basis or which respond to public health needs having state-wide significance. The department shall prepare a multiyear state health plan which will provide an assessment of the health of Connecticut's population and the availability of health facilities. The plan shall include: (1) Policy recommendations regarding allocation of resources; (2) public health priorities; (3) quantitative goals and objectives with respect to the appropriate supply, distribution and organization of public health resources; and (4) evaluation of the implications of new technology for the organization, delivery and equitable distribution of services. In the development of the plan the department shall consider the recommendations of any advisory bodies which may be established by the commissioner.

(b) For the purposes of establishing a state health plan as required by subsection (a) of this section and consistent with state and federal law on patient records, the department is entitled to access hospital discharge data, emergency room and ambulatory surgery encounter data, data on home health care agency client encounters and services, data from community health centers on client encounters and services and all data collected or compiled by the Health Systems Planning Unit of the Office of Health Strategy pursuant to section 19a-613.

(c) The Commissioner of Public Health shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54  1 to assure the confidentiality of personal data and patient-identifiable data collected or compiled pursuant to this section.