The July issue of Report on Patient Privacy features HIPAA for Caregivers in the article, “Families Detail Years of Anguish, Pain As They Plead for Changes to Privacy Rule” [1]. Reporter Theresa Defino writes about families’ reactions to proposed changes in the HIPAA Privacy Rule. More specifically, these are comments that family members submitted to the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
In particular, Defino talks about essays written by families with loved ones experiencing serious mental health conditions. Understandably, these families’ comments reflect the pain, stress, and sadness that can result from the HIPAA Privacy Rule. And, as expected, their remarks call for changes to HIPAA, in support of caregivers. Instead of blocking the sharing of health information, families want HIPAA to encourage health care providers to talk with them.
Ms. Defino interviewed HIPAA for Caregivers for the article because we had taken the extra step of turning passion into project.
If you want to read more about potential modifications to HIPAA, please see our blog article “Renovating the HIPAA Privacy Rule – Modifications and Comments.”
In addition, you can read the comments that HIPAA for Caregivers submitted to HHS.
The organization Theresa Defino works for – Health Care Compliance Association – publishes the Report on Patient Privacy. The magazine discusses new developments in patient privacy and other HIPAA-related concerns. In addition, it addresses organizational security.
[1] Defino, T. (2021). Families Detail Years of Anguish, Pain As They Plead for Changes to Privacy Rule. Report on Patient Privacy, 21(7), 1, 10-11.