§ 25-4-2005. Hepatitis C Testing – Recommendations – Definitions

1. The department recommends that each primary health-care provider or physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who treats a patient in an inpatient or outpatient setting offer a person born between the years of 1945 and 1965 a hepatitis C screening test or hepatitis C diagnostic test unless the health care provider providing such services reasonably believes that:
   1. The patient is being treated for a life-threatening emergency;
   2. The patient has previously been offered or has been the subject of a hepatitis C screening; or
   3. The patient lacks capacity to consent to a hepatitis C screening test.
2. If a patient accepts the offer of a hepatitis C screening test and the screening test is reactive, the health-care provider may either offer the patient follow-up health care or refer the individual to a health-care provider who can provide follow-up health care, including a hepatitis C diagnostic test.
3. The health-care provider shall make the offer of a hepatitis C screening to the patient in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner, as determined by rules promulgated by the department.
4. Nothing in this section affects the scope of practice of a health-care provider or diminishes any authority or legal or professional obligation of a health-care provider to offer a hepatitis C screening test or hepatitis C diagnostic test or to provide services or care for the subject of a hepatitis C screening test or hepatitis C diagnostic test.
5. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
   1. “Hepatitis C diagnostic test” means a laboratory test or tests that detect the presence of hepatitis C virus in the blood and provide confirmation of whether the patient has a hepatitis C infection.
   2. “Hepatitis C screening test” means a federal food and drug administration-approved rapid point of care test or other food and drug administration-approved tests that detect the presence of hepatitis C virus antibodies in the blood.

Source: L. 2014: Entire section added, (SB 14-173), ch. 233, p. 863, § 2, effective August 6.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 14-173, see section 1 of chapter 233, Session Laws of Colorado 2014.