Board reviews public-records policy; attorney recommends written request process and fee policy

Board members and legal counsel discussed the hospital’s public records policy and how Wyoming law defines records that must be produced.

A trustee asked whether an attorney was involved in the hospital’s public-records policy. Counsel responded that the policy cites Wyoming law and lists as public records “all agreements and contracts to which a government entity as a party” (page 7 of 9 in the policy, as read in the discussion). Counsel said she has reviewed and drafted public-records policies for other hospitals and offered to share her recent policy drafts with the hospital’s counsel for comparison.

Counsel summarized limits to disclosure allowed under statute: personnel files, HIPAA-protected patient information and other privileged materials can be withheld, but the overall statutory trend is disclosure. She warned trustees that public-records requests can be “weaponized” by litigants seeking documents in advance of litigation and recommended a written-request process, charging reasonable fees for production and attorney review of requests that appear driven by litigation. Counsel said some hospitals include attorney fees and costs in their fee schedules for complex requests and that counsel would email an example policy to the hospital’s counsel (Allison) for review.

Trustees emphasized that, for routine public requests from private citizens and local media, the hospital generally tries to provide records promptly. Counsel said hospitals sometimes hold requests for up to 30 days for review and that withholding is limited to specific statutory exemptions.

Why it matters: public-records policy governs transparency and legal exposure; clear procedures and fee rules can help manage volume and safeguard protected information.

Limitations: the discussion recorded legal guidance in general terms and offered to circulate written policy examples; the transcript did not show a board vote to adopt changes.