2003 Office of Civil Rights News Room

December 2003

• Federal Register Notice: Comment Period for revised LEP Guidance
  extended to January 6, 2004 [PDF - 33KB] - 12/16/2003

November 2003

• New Frequently Asked Questions on Facility Directories and Disclosures to Family and Friends - 11/4/03
• New Frequently Asked Questions on Sharing PHI for Treatment - 11/4/03

October 2003

• OCR issues Letter of Findings regarding Hamilton County, Ohio and the State of Ohio, finding discrimination on the basis of race in foster and adoption care - Director's Statement [DOC - 29KB] - 10/21/2003 / OCR Letter of Findings - [PDF - 5.4M]. Note: the Letter of Findings uses pseudonyms to protect personal privacy

September 2003

• Federal Register Correction: Deadline for comments on revised LEP guidance is December 8, 2003 - 9/30/03
• New Frequently Asked Questions on Authorizations - 9/24/03
• Expiration Date for CMP Procedures Rule Extended to September 2005 - 9/16/04 [PDF- 48KB]
• New combined regulation text for privacy, security, and enforcement rules [PDF] - 9/12/03
• New Frequently Asked Question on Notices that apply to multiple states - 9/4/03

August 2003

• OCR and ACF disseminate self-assessment tool to facilitate non-discrimination in foster care and adoption - 8/5/03
• Revised Title VI LEP Guidance for Recipients Published in the Federal Register
• OCR issues caution about misleading marketing on HIPAA training - 8/4/03

July 2003

• New OCR page targets small providers - 7/21/03
• OCR publishes common fact sheets in several additional languages - 7/10/03

June 2003

• OCR powerpoint presentations from HHS National Conferences on the Privacy Rule - 6/18/03
• New FAQs on drug rebate programs - 6/9/03

April 2003

• How to File a Privacy Complaint Fact Sheet and Privacy Complaint Form posted in Spanish/en Espanol - 4/29/03
• HHS' NIH publishes "Protecting Personal Health Information in Research: Understanding the HIPAA Privacy Rule" [PDF] - 4/17/03
• Interim Final Rule: Civil Money Penalties: Procedures for Investigations, Imposition of Penalties, and Hearings [PDF] - 4/17/03
• Privacy Guidance about Authorizations for Research and Institutional Review Boards [PDF] - 4/16/03
• Protecting the Privacy of Patients' Health Information Fact Sheet - 4/14/03
• OCR new fact sheet How to File a Health Information Privacy Complaint with OCR - 4/11/03
• OCR posts Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule- 4/11/03
• Statement by Tommy G. Thompson Secretary of Health and Human Services Regarding New Federal Privacy Regulations Press Release - 04/11/03
• CDC and HHS issue guidance about the HIPAA Privacy Rule and Public Health [HTML] - 4/11/03

March 2003

• Notice of Address for Submission of Requests for Preemption Exception Determination published in Federal Register [PDF] - 3/11/03
• OCR has released a new document, "Delivering on the Promise: OCR's Compliance Activities Promote Community Integration," summarizing the satisfactory resolution of more than 100 "most integrated setting" complaints filed with OCR by individuals with disabilities. OCR is producing this document in accord with HHS' commitment to broadly disseminate individual accounts of how civil rights activities have facilitated the community integration of prople with disabilities - March 28, 2003
• Delivering on the Promise: Compilation of Individual Federal Agency Reports of Actions to Eliminate Barriers and Promote Community Integration - 3/25/02
• Notice of Addresses for Submission of HIPAA Privacy Complaints published in Federal Register [PDF] - 3/20/03
• Notice of Addresses for Submission of HIPAA Health Information Privacy Complaints published in Federal Register - March 20, 2003
  • Federal Register Notice in [Txt] | [PDF]
• Notice of Address for Submission of Requests for Preemption Exception Determinations Published in the Federal Register - March 11, 2003
• New FAQs providing answers to questions concerning: - 3/13/03
  • Preemption of State law and requests for preemption exception determinations
  • Disclosure of protected health information to protect against bioterrorism
  • Nursing home reporting of admissions information concerning SSI recipients to SSA
    
    All Privacy Rule FAQs, including these new FAQs, are now available at a new location where they can be searched on keywords or by topic.
    
    To use this new search tool, click the FAQs link below or the Questions? link above right, then:
    • To view all Privacy Rule FAQs, select "Privacy of Health Information/HIPAA" from the Category dropdown list and click the Search button.
    • To view particular FAQs, after selecting "Privacy of Health Information/HIPAA" from the Category dropdown list, either (1) type a keyword(s) in the Search Text field and click the Search button, or (2) select a topic from the Sub-category dropdown list and click the Search button.
    
    Go to FAQs
• Notice of Address for Submission of Requests for Preemption Exception Determinations published in the Federal Register. - 3/11/03
  • Federal Register Notice in [Txt] | [PDF]

February 2003

• HHS Adopts final security standards for protecting individually identifiable health information when it is maintained or transmitted electronically by health plans, certain health care providers and health care clearinghouses.
  Press release Final rule - 2/13/03
• HHS Adopts final modifications to the transaction standards, which health plans, certain health care providers and health care clearinghouses by law must use for electronic health care transactions.
  Press release Final rule - 2/13/03

January 2003

• OCR will conduct four conferences to discuss and respond to questions on the Privacy Rule in February and March 2003 in San Diego, Atlanta, New York, and Chicago - 1/27/03