42 U.S.C. § 300ff–138 — Miscellaneous provisions

(a) Liability of medical facilities, designated officers, public health officers, and governing entities. This part doesn't let anyone sue a medical facility, a designated officer, another public health officer, or the entity that governs them, just because they failed to follow the duties in this part. Breaking a rule in this part is not, by itself, a reason for a damages lawsuit or a civil penalty against these people or facilities. (b) Testing. This part doesn't require or allow a medical facility to test an emergency victim for an infectious disease. (c) Confidentiality. This part doesn't require or allow a medical facility, a designated officer, or an emergency response employee to reveal information that identifies an emergency victim or an emergency response employee. (d) Failure to provide emergency services. This part doesn't excuse an emergency response employee from responding to an emergency or from providing services to a victim. An employee can't use this part as a reason to refuse to help someone. (e) Notification and reporting deadlines. If the Secretary decides that a public health emergency (declared under section 247d(a)) makes it impossible for people or organizations to follow this part's requirements, the Secretary can temporarily suspend some or all of those requirements, for as long as the circumstances reasonably need. The Secretary must tell Congress about the suspension, either before it happens or soon after, and must publish a notice about it in the Federal Register. (f) Continued application of State and local law. Nothing in this part limits state or local laws that require reporting data to public health authorities. Those laws keep applying on top of this part.