Title 18, Health, Safety, Housing, Human Rights, and Public Defender

In AS 18.23.005 — 18.23.070, unless the context otherwise requires, (1) “administrative staff” means the staff of an agency, institution, or organization that provides health care; (2) “health care” means professional services rendered by a health care provider or an employee of …

A health care provider may maintain and preserve its medical records in an electronic format that protects the physical security of the records and protects the records from access by unauthorized persons. A health care provider who maintains and preserves the records in an elect…

(a) The department shall establish and implement a statewide electronic health information exchange system and ensure the interoperability and compliance of the system with state and federal specifications and protocols for exchanging health records and data. (b) The system estab…

(a) The department shall ensure the designee establishes appropriate privacy and security standards to protect the disclosure, transmission, and receipt of individually identifiable information contained in the system established under AS 18.23.300. The standards must (1) include…

The department shall provide to the legislature, on or before December 31 of each year, an annual report on the progress of the health information exchange system in the state, including rates of participation by providers in the system, the number of health records exchanged, id…

A contract entered into to carry out the purposes of AS 18.23.300 must require that the contractor meet applicable federal and state requirements for protecting health information privacy and security and nationally recognized standards for interoperability of health information …

(a) A health care provider shall annually compile a list, including a brief description in plain language that an individual with no medical training can understand, of the 10 health care services most commonly performed by the health care provider in the state in the previous ca…

The department may facilitate the purchase, construction, and repair of, and obtain necessary equipment for, nonprofit hospitals operated by municipalities, communities, and associations in the state.

The department shall initiate appropriate action under AS 18.25.010 — 18.25.030 when it determines which projects are of most immediate necessity, and shall allot money to the municipalities, communities, and associations on a matching basis, or in accordance with their financial…

It is the intent of AS 18.25.010 — 18.25.030 to provide financial aid to municipalities, communities, and associations for which an attempt at complete financing by themselves of a necessary project would entail great hardship. It is also intended that the department utilize the …

The department may assist in cases of operational deficits of community operated nonprofit hospitals and clinics in the state.

The department shall initiate appropriate action in accordance with the provisions of AS 18.25.040 — 18.25.060 as soon as the department determines which projects are of most immediate necessity.

It is the intent of AS 18.25.040 — 18.25.060 to provide financial aid, or funds to match available federal funds to aid localities or municipalities whose taxable values are limited in scope and for whom an attempt at community financing of a community operated nonprofit hospital…

The department may assist in the purchase, construction, repair, and equipping of facilities to improve and protect community health, and may provide financial assistance for the operation of the facilities in case of operational deficits.

It is the intent of AS 18.25.070 — 18.25.110 to assist communities and areas in developing and improving health service facilities by the purchase, construction, renovation, or establishment of hospitals, health centers, or clinics, or quarters for personnel, and the purchase of …

Purchases under AS 18.25.070 — 18.25.110 are to be used for the purpose for which appropriated and when the purpose is discontinued the items shall be returned to the department for use elsewhere.

The department shall adopt regulations for (1) the establishment of criteria, minimum requirements, and standards for assistance to communities under AS 18.25.070 — 18.25.110; (2) the establishment of the fiscal and accounting procedures and controls considered necessary for the …

Within 10 days of the convening of each legislative session, the department shall have completed a report of grants made under AS 18.25.070 — 18.25.110 and notified the legislature that the report is available.

In this chapter, “department” means the Department of Health.

(a) The legislature finds that (1) there exist inadequate medical care and medical facilities in certain localities of the state, and in other localities medical care is not available and medical facilities do not exist at all; (2) construction funding under 42 U.S.C. 291-291z (T…

There is created the Alaska Medical Facility Authority the sole purpose of which is to provide and finance medical facilities for the benefit of the people of the state. The authority is a public corporation and an instrumentality of the state within the Department of Revenue, bu…

(a) The authority shall be managed and controlled by a seven-person board of directors, who serve at the pleasure of the governor, consisting of (1) the commissioner of revenue, who shall also chair the board; (2) the commissioner of health; (3) the commissioner of commerce, comm…

(a) Four members of the board constitute a quorum for the transaction of business or the exercise of a power or function at a meeting of the board. All decisions of the board shall be initiated by motion or resolution, and the vote and decision shall be recorded in the board's mi…

The authority has all powers necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter including, but not limited to, the following: (1) to sue and be sued in its own name; (2) to adopt a seal and alter it at pleasure; (3) to adopt, amend, and repeal bylaws for its organization, manage…

(a) The authority may not maintain or operate any medical facility. However, if the operator of a medical facility or trustee under a trust agreement defaults under any material provisions of the contractual documents, the authority may operate and maintain the medical facility o…

All expenses of the authority incurred in carrying out the provisions of this chapter are payable solely from funds provided under this chapter, and liability may not be incurred by the authority beyond the extent to which money has been provided under this chapter. However, for …

(a) The authority may borrow money and may issue bonds for it, payable from the revenue derived by it from its interest in any one or more medical facilities or from its income and receipts or other assets generally, or a designated part of them. The issuance of revenue bonds is …

The authority may issue and sell bond anticipation notes which shall be on the terms, bear the date, mature at the time, be in the denomination and in the form, payable in the medium at the place and subject to the terms of redemption as the authority considers necessary or advis…

In the discretion of the authority, an issue of bonds may be secured by a trust indenture, trust agreement, indenture of mortgage or deeds of trust (all considered “trust agreements” in this chapter) between the authority and a corporate trustee. The corporate trustee may be a tr…

Neither the members of the authority nor any person executing the bonds is liable personally on the bonds or is subject to any personal liability or accountability by reason of the issuance of them.

Any notes or revenue bonds issued against any special funds provided for in this chapter are a valid claim of the holder of them only as against those special funds in the proportion or amount of the revenue pledged to the funds and other authority assets the board may have pledg…

(a) A member of the board may not vote on a resolution of the board relating to a lease or contract to be entered into by the authority under this chapter if the member is a party to the lease or contract or has a direct ownership or equity interest in a firm, partnership, corpor…

A pledge of revenue or other money, obligations, or assets by the authority is binding from the time the pledge is made as against any parties having subsequent claims in tort, contract, or otherwise, irrespective of whether those parties have actual notice of the prior pledge. T…

(a) Notes or revenue bonds issued under the provisions of this chapter are not, either directly, indirectly, or contingently, an obligation, a pledge of the faith and credit of, or a charge upon any revenue or funds of the state or of any political subdivision of the state but ar…

A holder of notes or revenue bonds issued under this chapter or a trustee under a trust agreement entered into under this chapter may, except to the extent the holder's rights are restricted by the bond resolution, by any suitable form of legal proceedings, protect and enforce an…

Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, the authority may invest any funds, not needed to meet current cash expenditure needs, as set out in AS 37.10.071.

Revenue bonds of the authority are securities in which the following may legally invest any funds belonging to them or within their control: all public officers and agencies of the state and of municipal corporations, officers, boards of directors and trustees of banks, trust com…

The State of Alaska pledges to and agrees with the holders of any obligations issued under this chapter, and with those parties who may enter into contracts with the authority under this chapter, that the state will not limit or alter the rights vested in the authority by this ch…

The authority shall keep an accurate account of all of its activities and of all of its receipts and expenditures and shall biennially, no later than the 10th day of the first regular session of each legislature, make a report of them to the governor, copies of which shall also b…

A medical facility that has been monetarily supported, in any manner whatsoever, by the authority is subject to any state requirements relating to public buildings, structures, grounds, works, or improvements, any requirement of competitive bidding or other restriction imposed on…

A medical facility constructed, acquired, improved, financed, or otherwise under the provisions of this chapter and all actions of the authority are subject to AS 18.07, AS 47.32, and any other present or future state licensing requirements for the facilities or services provided…

(a) The authority, all assets at any time owned by it, the income from those assets, and all bonds issued by the authority, together with the coupons applicable to them, and the income from them, are exempt from all taxation and special assessments in this state except for gift, …

The earnings of the authority in excess of the amount required for the retirement of indebtedness or the accomplishment of the purposes stated in this chapter are the exclusive property of the state.

The authority is not a (1) political subdivision of the state for the purposes of AS 37.10.085, but for all other purposes the authority constitutes a political subdivision and an instrumentality of the state under this chapter; (2) municipality; (3) state agency for the purposes…

(a) There is established as a separate account in the authority the medical facilities special bond guarantee account. The medical facilities special bond guarantee account consists of money disbursed to it by the commissioner of revenue. The assets of the medical facilities spec…

In this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise, (1) “authority” means the Alaska Medical Facility Authority created by this chapter; (2) “board” means the board of directors of the authority; (3) “bond resolution” means a resolution authorizing the issuance of, or providi…