By Mike Hintze, Hintze Law
On June 30, the Washington State Office of the Attorney General (OAG) issued its highly-anticipated clarifying guidance on the Washington My Health My Data Act (the Act) through a publication presenting seven “frequently asked questions.” Given the Act’s inherent ambiguities, the business community has been eagerly awaiting this guidance in hopes of shedding much-needed light on its implications. While the guidance addresses one of the most significant areas of uncertainty—the effective dates—and addresses several other aspects, it regrettably leaves other important questions unanswered.
To understand the implications of this guidance, it is essential to emphasize that the Act does not empower the Attorney General with official rulemaking authority. Furthermore, this guidance does not constitute a formal opinion from the Attorney General. The Office of Attorney General underscored this advisory and non-binding nature at the end of the guidance.
In this blog post by Hintze Law, I discuss in detail this guidance issued by the Washington State Office of the Attorney General.