HHS’ Proposed HIPAA Right of Access Changes: CHIME, ABHW Weigh in
Health IT Security
Jessica Davis
CHIME and the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness sent letters to the Department of Health and Human Services, in response to proposed changes to HIPAA. Among a range of concerns are HHS’ planned amendments to the Right of Access standard that could further burden providers and introduce unnecessary privacy and security risks.
First proposed in December 2020, HHS Office for Civil Rights extended the comment period to May 6, 2021 in light of the high public interest. Though the proposed amendments include a number of provisions, patient access to their health information was a key focus.
HHS has made the Right of Access standard a key agency priority for the last year, spotlighting the need for patients to have access to their protected health information in a designated record set upon request and within a reasonable timeframe.
Under the rule, providers have...