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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="18-337" title_number="18" title_name="Disease Prevention" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Specific Diseases">
  <level label="a">
    <text>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.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>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:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The individual’s identity; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The circumstances giving rise to the notification.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>When the local health officer is notified, the health officer shall enforce the provisions of §§ 18-208 through 18-213.1 of this title:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Within a reasonable time; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>To the extent feasible.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>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.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>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.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>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.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>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:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>A breach of patient confidentiality; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>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.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
