Relating to information to be provided, recorded, and reported by health care providers relative to certain vaccinations, and providing penalties

This bill relates to the requirements established under federal law for health care providers administering certain vaccines. The bill provides definitions used in the bill. The bill requires the department of public health (DPH) to collaborate with each health profession board to ensure that a health care provider under the purview of DPH or a health profession board is aware of and complies with the requirements applicable to health care providers who administer vaccines, including providing to the adult patient, or to the parent or legal representative of a minor patient, a copy of the relevant federal vaccine information statement for the vaccine the patient is to receive and verbal information regarding the existence of the vaccine adverse event reporting system (VAERS) and the national vaccine injury compensation program, for those vaccines included in the vaccine injury table, prior to the patient receiving the vaccine; and recording certain required information about the vaccine administered in the patient’s medical record or a permanent office log or file. The bill also requires DPH to collaborate with each health profession board to ensure that a health care provider reports to the VAERS following a vaccination, any adverse event listed in the reportable events table that occurs within the specified interval following a vaccination and any adverse event listed by the manufacturer as a contraindication to further doses of the vaccine. Additionally, a health care provider shall be strongly encouraged to report to the VAERS any clinically significant or unexpected event that occurs after the administration of any vaccine licensed in the United States whether or not the vaccine is listed in the reportable events table and even if the health care provider is not certain the vaccine caused the event, to report any vaccine administration errors, and to provide to an adult patient, or to the parent or legal representative of a minor patient, a vaccine adverse event reporting system identification number within hours of reporting the adverse event. The bill provides for disciplinary action by DPH or the respective health profession board and for fines in a minimum amount of $1,000, established by DPH or the respective board, for noncompliance with the federal requirements or the bill.