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A.  The department, through the office of public health, shall conduct a program of epidemiological assessments of the incidence of Parkinson’s disease.  The program shall encompass all areas of the state for which Parkinson’s disease incidence data are available.  The program shall include the monitoring of Parkinson’s disease associated with suspected chemical agents encountered by the general public both in occupational locations and in the environment generally.  The department shall designate regional Parkinson’s disease incidence reporting areas and regional Parkinson’s disease registries for the purpose of monitoring the incidence of the disease throughout the state.

B.  Any hospital or other facility providing therapy to Parkinson’s disease patients within an area designated as a Parkinson’s disease-reporting area shall report each case of Parkinson’s disease to the department or the authorized representative of the department in a format prescribed by the department.  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 health facility shall reimburse the department or authorized representative for its costs to access and report the information.

C.  Any physician, surgeon, dentist, podiatrist, or other licensed, certified, or registered health care practitioner diagnosing or providing treatment for Parkinson’s disease patients shall report each Parkinson’s disease case to the department or the authorized representative of the department, except for those cases directly referred to a treatment facility or those previously admitted to a treatment facility for diagnosis or treatment of that instance of Parkinson’s disease.

D.  The department and any regional Parkinson’s disease registry designated by the department shall use the information to determine the sources of Parkinson’s disease and evaluate measures designed to eliminate, alleviate, or ameliorate their effect.

E.  Nothing in this Section shall preempt the authority of facilities or individuals providing diagnostic or treatment services to patients with Parkinson’s disease to maintain their own facility-based Parkinson’s disease registries.

F.  Reporting sources shall not collect, track, or report information on a Parkinson’s disease patient whenever the patient objects based on his or her religious beliefs.

Acts 2005, No. 210, §1.