A. A central statewide chronic disease surveillance system is established in the department. Diseases in the surveillance system shall include cancer, birth defects and other chronic diseases required by the director to be reported to the department.

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B. The department, in establishing the surveillance system, shall:

1. Provide a chronic disease information system.

2. Provide a mechanism for patient follow-up.

3. Promote and assist hospital cancer registries.

4. Improve the quality of information gathered relating to the detection, diagnosis and treatment of patients with cancer, birth defects and other diseases included in the surveillance system.

5. Monitor the incidence patterns of diseases included in the surveillance system.

6. Pursuant to rules adopted by the director, establish procedures for reporting diseases included in the surveillance system.

7. Identify population subgroups at high risk for cancer, birth defects and other diseases included in the surveillance system.

8. Identify regions of this state that need intervention programs or epidemiological research, detection and prevention.

9. Establish a data management system to perform various studies, including epidemiological studies, and to provide biostatistic and epidemiologic information to the medical community relating to diseases in the surveillance system.

C. A person who provides a case report to the surveillance system or who uses case information from the system authorized pursuant to this section is not subject to civil liability with respect to providing the case report or accessing information in the system.

D. The department may authorize other persons and organizations to use surveillance data:

1. To study the sources and causes of cancer, birth defects and other chronic diseases.

2. To evaluate the cost, quality, efficacy and appropriateness of diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative and preventive services and programs related to cancer, birth defects and other chronic diseases.

E. The department of health services and the Arizona early intervention program in the department of economic security may use surveillance data to notify the families of children with birth defects regarding services that are available to them and provide these families with information about organizations that provide services to these children and their families.

F. Information collected on individuals by the surveillance system that can identify an individual is confidential and may be used only pursuant to this section. A person who discloses confidential information in violation of this section is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor.