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Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff
(a) In this section, “health care provider” means a physician, a physician's designee, or a designee of a health care facility licensed or otherwise authorized to provide health care services.
(b) If an individual informed of the individual's HIV positive status under § 18-336 of this subtitle refuses to notify the individual's sexual and needle-sharing partners, the individual's physician may inform the local health officer and/or the individual's sexual and needle-sharing partners of:
(1) The individual's identity; and
(2) The circumstances giving rise to the notification.
(c) When the local health officer is notified, the health officer shall enforce the provisions of §§ 18-208 through 18-213.1 of this title:
(1) Within a reasonable time; and
(2) To the extent feasible.
(d) Each local health officer shall refer the infected individual and any known sexual or needle-sharing partners of the individual to appropriate services for the care, support, and treatment for HIV infected individuals.
(e) A physician acting in good faith to provide notification in accordance with this section may not be held liable in any cause of action related to a breach of patient confidentiality.
(f) A physician acting in good faith may not be held liable in any cause of action for choosing not to disclose information related to a positive test result for the presence of human immunodeficiency virus to an individual's sexual and needle-sharing partners.
(g) A hospital or any other health care provider acting in good faith pursuant to a physician's order to perform or interpret a test for the presence of HIV may not be held liable in any cause of action related to:
(1) A breach of patient confidentiality; or
(2) A physician's decision to disclose or not to disclose information related to a positive test result to a local health officer and/or an individual's sexual and needle-sharing partners.
Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Maryland Code, Health-General § 18-337 - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/md/health-general/md-code-health-gen-sect-18-337/
FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.
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