(a) Beginning January 1, 2018, the department shall collect data on the incidence of Parkinson’s disease in California. The program shall be known, and may be cited, as the Richard Paul Hemann Parkinson’s Disease Program.

(b) The department shall establish a system for the collection of information determining the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s disease. The department shall designate Parkinson’s disease as a disease required to be reported in the state or any part of the state. All cases of Parkinson’s disease diagnosed or treated in California shall be reported to the department.

(c) The department shall provide notification of the mandatory reporting of Parkinson’s disease on its Internet Web site and shall also provide that information to associations representing physicians and hospitals and directly to the Medical Board of California at least 90 days prior to requiring information be reported.

(d) Beginning July 1, 2018, a hospital, facility, physician and surgeon, or other health care provider diagnosing or providing treatment to Parkinson’s disease patients shall report each case of Parkinson’s disease to the department in a format prescribed by the department.

(e) If the hospital or other facility fails to report in a format prescribed by the department, the department’s authorized representative may access the information from the hospital or the facility and report it in the appropriate format. In these cases, the hospital or other facility shall reimburse the department or the authorized representative for its costs to access and report the information.

(f) All physicians, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and all other facilities, individuals, or agencies providing diagnostic or treatment services to patients with Parkinson’s disease shall grant to the department or the authorized representative access to all records that would identify cases of Parkinson’s disease or would establish characteristics of Parkinson’s disease, treatment of Parkinson’s disease, or medical status of any identified Parkinson’s disease patient. Willful failure to grant access to those records shall be punishable by a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars ($500) each day access is refused. Any civil penalties collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be deposited by the department in the General Fund.

(g) Except as otherwise provided in this section, all information collected pursuant to this section shall be confidential. For purposes of this section, this information shall be referred to as “confidential information.”

(h) The program shall be under the direction of the director, who may enter into contracts, grants, or other agreements as are necessary for the conduct of the program. The award of these contracts, grants, or funding agreements shall be exempt from Part 2 (commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code. This chapter shall be implemented only to the extent funds are made available for its purposes.

(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 52, Sec. 12. (SB 97) Effective July 10, 2017. Repealed as of January 1, 2021, pursuant to Section 103870.2.)