HHS Office for Civil Rights Director Melanie Fontes Rainer on Progress and News at OCR
ERISA Blog | Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rules A Primer for Self-Insured Group Health Plans
Podcast - Data Privacy and Tracking Technology Compliance
Patient Data and Privacy
HIPAA Tips With Williams Mullen - Telehealth After the Pandemic
Relaxed HIPAA Restrictions For Providers Using Telehealth
Webinar: Investigating and Resolving Sexual Assaults on Campus
During this election year, McDermottPlus is actively monitoring annual regulations that federal agencies are expected to release, as well as “ad hoc” regulations that will be released at the discretion of federal agencies. ...more
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Sept. 7 announced a proposed rule to bar discrimination based on disability.[1] “The rule, Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal...more
On January 11, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published a Final Rule that seeks to provide clarity regarding OCR’s enforcement authority and processes relating to federal...more
Congress Works to Meet Imminent Funding Deadlines. Speaker of the House Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) announced an agreement on top-line spending levels to fund the government for the remainder of...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued a strategy paper highlighting key aspects of its plan to revamp cybersecurity requirements in the healthcare industry. Citing a 93% increase in large data...more
In 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed changes to the Privacy Rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act of 1996 (HIPAA) that would significantly alter the current...more
Report on Patient Privacy Volume 23, no 7 (July 2023) In two public talks this spring, Melanie Fontes Rainer, director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), said completing the 2021 proposed regulation extensively...more
Introduction - Following the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade, the federal government, pursuant to President Biden’s Executive Order (the EO) took several steps...more
On April 12, 2023, the Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced proposed changes to HIPAA’s Privacy Rule with regard to reproductive health information. The proposed changes are set out in a...more
The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a proposed rule on April 17, 2023, to amend provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to strengthen...more
HIPAA covered entities (CEs) longing for the opportunity to dispense with what some would call the more nettlesome aspects of notices of privacy practices (NPPs) will just have to be patient. For how long, no one is saying....more
On April 12, 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“Notice” or “NPRM”) to solicit comments on proposed modifications to the HIPAA...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
Following the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the federal government has issued various guidance to healthcare providers reinforcing federal legal protections or requirements...more
In the two weeks following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Biden Administration has taken several actions to provide clarity about women’s access to reproductive health...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) recently released new guidance (the “Guidance”) to help ensure that individuals may continue to benefit from audio-only telehealth...more
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently issued new guidance (Guidance) on the use of remote communication technologies to deliver audio-only telehealth in accordance with...more
The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”), recently issued new regulatory guidance relating to covered entities’ HIPAA-compliant use of remote communication technologies for...more
Increasing mental health care needs for minors present a range of legal issues for children, parents, health care providers and health care payors. While state laws typically govern who has the power to consent to or refuse...more
As part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Section 1557 is a multilayered approach to prohibit discrimination based on color, national origin, sex, age, and disability in health programs or “activities that receive federal...more
On May 24, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced its proposed changes to the regulations issued under Section 1557 of the Affordable Act Care (“ACA”). Section 1557 is the primary...more
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it has entered into a settlement with a business associate that provides electronic medical records services to health...more
In This Issue: - Top News ..Congress Approves Budget Deal with Short-Term ‘Doc Fix' ..CMS “Two-Midnight” Rule delayed until March 31, 2014 ..Individuals with Canceled Insurance Policies May Apply for...more
In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ("HITECH") modified a number of provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") to strengthen HIPAA's privacy and...more