50-16-801. Legislative findings. The legislature finds that:

(1) health care information is personal and sensitive information that if improperly used or released may do significant harm to a patient's interests in privacy and health care or other interests;

(2) the enactment of federal health care privacy legislation and the adoption of rules pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), 42 U.S.C. 1320d, et seq., provide significant privacy protection for health care information with respect to health care providers subject to HIPAA;

(3) for health care providers subject to the health care information privacy protections of HIPAA, the applicability of the provisions of Title 50, chapter 16, part 5, relating to health care privacy is unnecessary and may result in significant practical difficulties;

(4) it is in the best interest of the citizens of Montana to have certain requirements, with respect to the use or release of health care information by health care providers, that are more restrictive than or additional to the health care privacy protections of HIPAA.