CONFIDENTIALITY; PRIVILEGE

(a) All information and materials submitted by a hospital to the department under Section 241.183(d) are confidential and: (1) are not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code, or discovery, subpoena, or other means of legal compulsion for release to any person; and (2) may not be admitted as evidence or otherwise disclosed in any civil, criminal, or administrative proceeding. (b) The confidentiality protections under Subsection (a) apply without regard to whether the information or materials are submitted by a hospital or an entity that has an ownership or management interest in a hospital. (c) A state employee or officer may not be examined in a civil, criminal, or special proceeding, or any other proceeding, regarding the existence or contents of information or materials submitted to the department under Section 241.183(d). (d) The submission of information or materials under Section 241.183(d) is not a waiver of a privilege or protection granted under law. (e) The provisions of this section regarding the confidentiality of information or materials submitted by a hospital in compliance with Section 241.183(d) do not restrict access, to the extent authorized by law, by the patient or the patient's legally authorized representative to records of the patient's medical diagnosis or treatment or to other primary health records. (f) A department summary or disclosure, including an assignment of a level of care designation, may not contain information identifying a patient, employee, contractor, volunteer, consultant, health care practitioner, student, or trainee.