HHS/OCR Content Explains HIPAA Nuances for Consumers, Providers

The HHS Office for Civil Rights has put together a package of new and existing content to help consumers and providers better understand the HIPAA privacy and security rules. The office enforces the rules.

New is a series of fact sheets in eight languages on consumer rights under the privacy rule. These cover the rights of individuals to obtain their medical records, ask for amendments to the records, and know who has seen the records, as well as the sharing of information and the HIPAA notice of privacy practices in health care organizations, among other issues.

OCR earlier this year produced seven consumer-oriented YouTube videos that complement the fact sheets, and has since made a video for providers on the HIPAA security rule, all available here. Also new are three modules from Medscape for providers that explain compliance with various parts of the privacy and security rules. The titles are: Patient Privacy: A Guide for Providers; HIPAA and You: Building a Culture of Compliance; and Examining Compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule.