Per the notice below, the United States Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is highlighting changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) that take effect on December 23, 2024.

Compliance With Most Provisions of the HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy is Required by December 23, 2024

On April 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, announced a final rule, entitled the HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy.  The rule strengthens privacy protections for medical records and health information for individuals who are seeking, obtaining, providing, or facilitating lawful reproductive health care.  Health Plans, health care clearinghouses, and most health care providers and business associates are required to be in compliance with most provisions of the final rule by December 23, 2024.  In order to ensure the public and regulated entities understand their rights and responsibilities, OCR has posted several documents and videos on its website and YouTube channel including:

• Final Rule
• Press Release
• Fact Sheet (en español)
• Director’s message on YouTube  (en español)
• Webinar
• Social Media Toolkit: HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy - PDF | en español - PDF
• June 20, 2024, Presentation on Final Rule (Slides) - PDF
• Director’s message on Attestation Compliance
• For HIPAA Covered Entities or Business Associates: Model Attestation for a Requested Use or Disclosure of Protected Health Information Potentially Related to Reproductive Health Care – PDF

This rule bolsters patient-provider confidentiality and promotes trust and open communication between individuals and their health care providers and health plans, which is essential for high quality health care.  OCR is committed to enforcing the HIPAA Rules that protect the privacy and security of individuals’ protected health information.  Guidance about the Privacy Rule, Security Rule, and Breach Notification Rule can also be found on OCR’s website.  If you believe that your or another person’s health information privacy or civil rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with OCR at: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints/index.html.