Section 08.64.369. Health care professionals to report certain injuries.

   (a) A health care professional who initially treats or attends to a person with an injury described in (b) of this section shall make certain that an oral report of the injury is made promptly to the Department of Public Safety, a local law enforcement agency, or a village public safety officer. The health care professional shall make certain that a written report of an injury described in (b)(1) or (2) of this section is submitted to the Department of Public Safety within three working days after the person is treated. The report shall be on a form provided by the Department of Public Safety.
   (b) The following injuries shall be reported under (a) of this section:
        (1) second or third degree burns to five percent or more of a patient's body;
        (2) a burn to a patient's upper respiratory tract or laryngeal edema due to the inhalation of super-heated air;
        (3) a bullet wound, powder burn, or other injury apparently caused by the discharge of a firearm;
        (4) an injury apparently caused by a knife, axe, or other sharp or pointed instrument, unless the injury was clearly accidental; and
        (5) an injury that is likely to cause the death of the patient, unless the injury was clearly accidental.
   (c) A person who, in good faith, makes a report under this section, or who participates in judicial proceedings related to a report under this section, is immune from any civil or criminal liability that might otherwise be incurred as a result of making such a report or participating in the judicial proceedings.
   (d) In this section, "health care professional" includes an emergency medical technician certified under AS 18.08, health aide, physician, nurse, mobile intensive care paramedic, and physician assistant, but does not include a practitioner of religious healing.

Notes

History

(Sec. 1 ch 88 SLA 1988; am Sec. 5 ch 36 SLA 1993)