---
title: O.C.G.A. § 16-10-94.1. Willful destruction, alteration, or falsification of medical records.
collection: code
id: 16-10-94.1
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 16-10-94.1 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-10-94.1
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-10-94.1.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-10-94.1/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t16-ch7-11-(v14a)-2018-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=aecbfe9c_0#page=732
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CRIMES AND OFFENSES / OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / OFFENSES RELATED TO JUDICIAL AND OTHER PROCEEDINGS
extraction_warnings:
  - dehyphenation_unverified:osteo-pathic
---

# O.C.G.A. § 16-10-94.1. Willful destruction, alteration, or falsification of medical records.

(a) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) ‘‘Patient’’ means any person who has received health care services from a provider.

(2) ‘‘Provider’’ means all hospitals, including public, private, osteopathic, and tuberculosis hospitals; other special care units, including podiatric facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and kidney disease treatment centers, including freestanding hemodialysis units; intermediate care facilities; ambulatory surgical or obstetrical facilities; health maintenance organizations; and home health agencies. Such term shall also mean any person licensed to practice under Chapter 9, 11, 26, 34, 35, or 39 of Title 43.

(3) ‘‘Record’’ means a patient’s health record, including, but not limited to, evaluations, diagnoses, prognoses, laboratory reports, X-rays, prescriptions, and other technical information used in assessing the patient’s condition, or the pertinent portion of the record relating to a specific condition or a summary of the record.

(b) Any person who, with intent to conceal any material fact relating to a potential claim or cause of action, knowingly and willfully destroys, alters, or falsifies any record shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

## History

Code 1981, § 16-10-94.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1988, p. 412, § 1.

## Code Commission Notes

Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1988, ‘‘under’’ was substituted for ‘‘Under’’ in the second sentence of paragraph (a)(2).