More HIPAA action expected this year
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will soon release changes to the privacy and transactions and code set rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, says William Braithwaite, senior advisor on health information policy in the department’s office of the assistant secretary for planning.
Modifications to the rules will be in the form of a notice for proposed rulemaking publication, says Braithwaite, who spoke at the Toward an Electronic Patient Record 2001 Conference in Boston in May. HHS expected to release guidance for the privacy rule in May in an attempt to clear up any discrepancies in the final rule.
Modifications to the rule, such as more clearly specifying when a patient’s prior consent is needed to release his or her medical information, will be included in a notice for proposed rulemaking and released later this year, Braithwaite says. HHS also expects to release a notice of changes for the transactions and code sets rule, including doing away with the National Drug Code code sets mandate, he adds.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content