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
2022 DSIR Deeper Dive: OCR’s Right of Access Initiative
HIPAA Tips With Williams Mullen - Telehealth After the Pandemic
Relaxed HIPAA Restrictions For Providers Using Telehealth
Webinar: Investigating and Resolving Sexual Assaults on Campus
At 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, 2023, the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declaration will conclude, more than three years after taking effect in January 2020. The PHE declaration has enabled the U.S. Department of...more
On April 11, 2023, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced its plan for termination of the existing notifications of enforcement discretion related to the expiration of the...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
HHS Releases Cybersecurity Guide - On March 8, 2023 the Department of Health and Human Services released a cybersecurity implementation guide for the health care industry—the HPH Sector Cybersecurity Framework...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 U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) recently announced a resolution agreement with the Los Angeles Unified School District largely addressing issues related to OCR’s finding that the District...more
The Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education recently issued a new Fact Sheet. The Fact Sheet repeats prior guidance that “the responsibility for schools to comply with Section 504 continues regardless of how...more
Does HIPAA prevent businesses from asking whether customers or clients are vaccinated? (No). Does HIPAA prevent an employer from requiring an employee to disclose vaccination status? (No). Does HIPAA prohibit doctors from...more
On July 26, 2021, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and Office for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) issued a Factsheet explaining the potential for students who have been infected with COVID-19 to...more
On May 13, 2021, the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights published a Q&A on Civil Rights and School Reopening in the COVID-19 Environment. ...more
Helpful Hints - CMS Updates Nursing Home Guidance with Revised Visitation Recommendations - On March 10, 2021, CMS announced guidance on expanding indoor visitation in nursing homes, in response to significant...more
Below is Alston & Bird’s Health Care Week in Review, which provides a synopsis of the latest news in healthcare regulations, notices, and guidance; federal legislation and congressional committee action; reports, studies, and...more
A recent OCR decision out of Wyoming is a reminder to school districts of their Child Find obligations—including during remote instruction. In Teton County School District, Wyoming, OCR found in favor of the school district...more
Helpful Hints - ADPH Says Vaccine Administration is Limited at this Time The Alabama Department of Public Health issued a press release on January 11, 2021, urging Alabamians to have patience in receiving the COVID-19...more
While much of the talk about Biden’s education agenda has quickly turned to who he will appoint to replace Betsy DeVos and how he will manage the COVID-19 pandemic, both critical issues for sure, we wanted to highlight...more
The new Title IX regulations addressing sexual harassment in elementary and secondary schools went into effect August 14, 2020. These regulations prescribe the exact way that schools must now address sexual harassment of...more
OCR recently published a Q&A document providing expectations for compliance with civil rights laws during the pandemic. While OCR is not responsible for enforcing the IDEA, it is responsible for Section 504. Because students...more
Faced with an ongoing public health emergency that threatens to overload healthcare systems, many states, including California, have developed or revisited their crisis care guidelines to address a potential COVID-19 patient...more
On September 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released new technical assistance for elementary and secondary schools concerning COVID-19. The document, Questions and Answers for K-12 Public...more
WHAT MATTERS - Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights announces the resolution of two major discrimination complaints against healthcare providers. Originally Published in the Birmingham Medical...more
On August 24, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued amended guidance on HIPAA compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 12, 2020, OCR issued initial guidance on how the HIPAA Privacy Rule permits covered...more
Late last week, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance aimed at “making sure misconceptions about HIPAA do not get in the way of a promising COVID-19 response,” according to...more
Report on Patient Privacy 20, no. 4 (April 2020) In new guidance, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has authorized hospitals and other covered entities (CEs) that may be faced with demands from first responders and law...more