(a) Notwithstanding any other law, and except as provided in subdivision (c), a primary care clinic described in subdivision (a) of Section 1204 that is licensed pursuant to this chapter shall not be required to enter into a written transfer agreement with a nearby hospital as a condition of licensure.

(b) (1) A primary care clinic shall send with each patient at the time of transfer, or in the case of an emergency, as promptly as possible, copies of all medical records related to the patient’s transfer. To the extent practicable and applicable to the patient’s transfer, the medical records shall include current medical findings, diagnoses, laboratory results, medications provided prior to transfer, a brief summary of the course of treatment provided prior to transfer, ambulation status, nursing and dietary information, name and contact information for the treating physician at the clinic, and, as appropriate, pertinent administrative and demographic information related to the patient, including name and date of birth.

(2) The requirements in paragraph (1) do not apply if the primary care clinic has entered into a written transfer agreement with a local hospital that provides for the transfer of medical records.

(c) A primary care clinic licensed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1204 that provides services as an alternative birth center shall, as a condition of licensure, be required to maintain a written transfer agreement with a local hospital. The transfer agreement shall include provisions for communication and transportation to meet medical emergencies. Essential personal, health, and medical information shall either accompany the patient upon transfer or be transmitted immediately by telephone to the receiving facility. This section does not modify or supersede the requirements imposed on alternative birth centers described in Section 1204.3.

(d) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2018.

(Amended (as added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 704, Sec. 2) by Stats. 2016, Ch. 86, Sec. 171. (SB 1171) Effective January 1, 2017.)