Reminder: Deadline approaching for public comments on HHS’ HIPAA request for information

Earlier this week, HHS’ Office of Civil Rights sent out a reminder that public comments to their request for information (RFI) on improving care coordination and reducing the regulatory burdens of HIPAA are due by February 12, 2019.

The RFI was issued on December 12, 2018, and seeks input from the public on how HIPAA rules, especially the Privacy Rule, could be modified to advance HHS’ goal of promoting coordinated, value-based healthcare. HHS is specifically interested in identifying provisions of HIPAA that may impede these aims and that do not meaningfully contribute to protecting the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI).

The RFI also seeks comments on the technical capabilities of regulated entities, how state laws interact with HIPAA, and on the following specific aspects of the Privacy Rule:

• Accounting for disclosures of PHI for treatment, payment, and health care operations as required by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act
• Addressing the opioid crisis and serious mental illness
• Changing the current requirement for certain providers to make a good faith effort to obtain an acknowledgment of receipt of the Notice of Privacy Practices
• Encouraging information-sharing for treatment and care coordination
• Facilitating parental involvement in care

Comments to the RFI can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal here. Comments can also be hand-delivered or mailed to: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, Attention: RFI, RIN 0945-AA00, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Room 509F, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201.