8-255c. No duty to report information to division or medical advisory board; nonliability for reports of information; information to be kept confidential.
8-255c
8-255c. No duty to report information to division or medical advisory board; nonliability for reports of information; information to be kept confidential. (a) No person reporting to the division or to the medical advisory board in good faith any information that any such person may have relating to the mental or physical condition of an applicant for or a holder of a driver's license shall be subject to a civil action for damages as a result of reporting such information. Nothing in this section shall be construed to create a duty to report, nor shall a physician or optometrist be required by law to report information to the division or to the medical advisory board as to the mental or physical condition of any patient.
(b) A physician or optometrist may report to the division or to the medical advisory board any person diagnosed or assessed as having a disorder or condition that in such physician's or optometrist's professional judgment could prevent such person from safely operating a motor vehicle or could constitute an immediate and serious danger to the public. Such report shall state the diagnosis or assessment and whether the condition is likely to be permanent or temporary. The existence of a privilege pursuant to K.S.A. 60-427, and amendments thereto, shall not prevent a physician or optometrist from making a report. All reports made to, and all medical records reviewed and maintained by, the division pursuant to this section shall be kept confidential and shall not be disclosed except upon the order of a court of competent jurisdiction, pursuant to the request of the division or medical advisory board and shall not be subject to subpoena, discovery or other demand in any other administrative, criminal or civil matter.
History: L. 1982, ch. 41, § 4; L. 1993, ch. 100, § 1; L. 2004, ch. 155, § 2; July 1.