OCR and ONC Develop Model Notices of Privacy Practices

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have jointly developed model notices of privacy practices that healthcare providers and health plans can use to communicate with their patients or residents and plan members. The updated Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule, which took effect September 23, 2013, requires healthcare providers to distribute a notice that provides a clear, user-friendly explanation of their privacy practices and patients’ privacy rights with respect to their personal health information. To come into compliance with the new requirement, covered entities can enter their specific information into the models and then print them for distribution or post them on their websites.