Skip to content

DIVISION 1. PERSONS 38-86›PART 2.6. CONFIDENTIALITY OF MEDICAL INFORMATION 56-56.37›CHAPTER 2. Disclosure of Medical Information by Providers 56.10-56.16

§ 56.16

California Civil Code · 2026-09 edition · updated 2026-10-03 · California

For disclosures not addressed by Section 56.1007, unless there is a specific written request by the patient to the contrary, nothing in this part shall be construed to prevent a general acute care hospital, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, upon an inquiry concerning a specific patient, from releasing at its discretion any of the following information: the patient’s name, address, age, and sex; a general description of the reason for treatment (whether an injury, a burn, poisoning, or some unrelated condition); the general nature of the injury, burn, poisoning, or other condition; the general condition of the patient; and any information that is not medical information as defined in Section 56.05.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 444, Sec. 5. (SB 138) Effective January 1, 2014.)

Get a plain-English answer with a citation back to this text.

Ask AI about this code
▸Contents — California Civil Code

GoCodebook provides public access, search, citation, multilingual explanation, and practical interpretation of legally adopted building regulations. It is not a substitute for the official ICC or California code publications.