Sharing death records for domestic violence reviews

(a) Upon request of the director or a domestic violence fatality review team, all medical examiners, physicians acting under the direction of a coroner, providers of medical care, state agencies, and county agencies shall disclose to the department and the domestic violence fatality review team all information and records regarding the circumstances of a victim's death so that the department may conduct a multidisciplinary and multiagency review of domestic violence fatalities pursuant to this part. (b) Members of the domestic violence fatality review team shall develop procedures related to near-deaths resulting from intimate partner violence. (c) The department may enter into memoranda of understanding with the relevant state agencies and branches of government and county agencies to obtain information relating to near-deaths resulting from intimate partner violence. (d) To the extent that this section conflicts with other state confidentiality laws, the provisions of this section shall require disclosure, notwithstanding the existence of a specific confidentiality statute. (e) An entity represented on a domestic violence fatality review team and any entity cooperating with an entity represented on a domestic violence fatality review team may share with other members of the team: (1) Information in its possession concerning the victim; (2) Information in its possession concerning any person who was in contact with the victim; and (3) Any other information in its possession deemed by the entity to be pertinent to the domestic violence fatality review. (f) Any information shared by an entity with other members of a domestic violence fatality review team is subject to the same restrictions on disclosure of the information or the records as the originating entity. (g) To the extent possible, the review conducted pursuant to section 321-472 shall commence no later than one year following the death, near-death, or suicide.