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Stimulus package includes 42 CFR Part 2 provisions
Author(s) -
Knopf Alison
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
alcoholism and drug abuse weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7591
pISSN - 1042-1394
DOI - 10.1002/adaw.32672
Subject(s) - health insurance portability and accountability act , confidentiality , accountability , informed consent , payment , health care , business , medicine , mental health , substance abuse , psychology , law , medical emergency , internet privacy , political science , psychiatry , computer science , alternative medicine , finance , pathology
The language in the stimulus package, as of March 26, revises 42 CFR Part 2 (confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records requiring patient consent before release), eliminating the consent provisions – allowing patients to give consent only once: “it shall be permissible for a patient's prior written consent to be given once for all such future uses or disclosures for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations, until such time as the patient revokes such consent in writing.”While not full alignment with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), it is bad news for confidentiality. Many programs probably require consent before admitting patients to treatment. The vague “health care operations” is included as a party that can get information redisclosed. If the House and the President signs off, the new law goes into effect immediately. H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., Dean's Executive Professor at Santa Clara University and former director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said the pending NPRM on 42 CFR Part 2 from SAMHSA should be suspended, that 42 CFR Part 2 should be formally moved from SAMHSA to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services since OCR has the function to collect data, monitor breaches, and impose penalties.” In addition, stakeholders should “ask what the new 42 CFR part 2 look like with the proposed changes which include the consent provisions, the breach notification provisions, the penalty provisions and all the other bells and whistles.” The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate March 25, and was scheduled to go to the House of Representatives for a vote March 27, after which President Trump was expected to sign it.