Office of Civil Rights (OCR)

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On June 29, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued two pieces of guidance clarifying the applicability of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) related to privacy of information connected to an individual’s reproductive health. 

Through this guidance, HIPAA addresses both protected health information (“PHI”), which is subject to HIPAA’s rules, as well as general, personal information that is not directly protected by HIPAA.Continue Reading New Guidance by OCR addresses HIPAA and Disclosures of Information relating to Reproductive Health

This post was also written by Marquan Robertson, a Reed Smith summer associate. 

In 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced its Right of Access Initiative. The Right of Access Initiative realizes OCR’s commitment to ensuring the aggressive enforcement of patients’ rights to receive copies of their medical…

With only one day left before the final rule scaling back nondiscrimination regulations took effect, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) issued an order staying the repeal of certain parts of the former regulations. On June 19, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule scaling back nondiscrimination regulations first released in 2016 to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The 2016 regulations had imposed significant requirements on health care providers to ensure that all individuals were provided “meaningful access” to care. As part of the 2016 regulations, OCR banned discrimination “on the basis of sex,” which was defined broadly as “on the basis of pregnancy, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery therefrom, childbirth or related medical conditions, sex stereotyping, or gender identity.” The 2020 final rule revised the 2016 regulations significantly, however. In one of its most controversial changes, OCR removed the definition of “on the basis of sex” contending that “on the basis of sex” shall revert to the “plain meaning” of the term “sex” in Title IX of the Civil Rights Act – meaning not to encompass discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. OCR’s decision came on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga. four days prior which concluded that discrimination “on the basis of sex” encompasses claims based on gender identity and sexual orientation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Accordingly, within the course of less than a week, the Supreme Court broadly interpreted the same term that OCR severely limited.

Shortly after OCR announced its reversal of the nondiscrimination requirement based on gender identity and sexual orientation, various interest groups began mounting legal challenges. With the order issued by EDNY on August 17, 2020, we are already seeing evidence of the legal battles likely to ensue over the definition of “on the basis of sex,” placing certain parts of OCR’s final rule in legal limbo.
Continue Reading Federal Court stays repeal of “On the Basis of Sex” definition in recent nondiscrimination final rule one day before regulations take effect

A final rule published by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) significantly scales back nondiscrimination regulations first released in 2016. The final rule, which was published in the Federal Register on June 19, 2020, implements Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and pares back numerous nondiscrimination regulations applicable to covered health care entities in an effort to reduce regulatory costs and eliminate duplicative legal obligations.

In doing so, the final rule drastically changes the interpretation of  Section 1557’s scope, waters down stringent requirements designed to promote universal access to covered programs and providers, and alters enforcement provisions. Despite these notable changes, certain core nondiscrimination provisions remain, such as communication and access standards for disabled and limited English proficiency (LEP) individuals. As a result, covered entities will need to understand how their obligations under the final rule change, what remains the same, and what to look out for moving forward when it becomes effective on August 18, 2020. Below are the new rule’s main takeaways.Continue Reading Office for Civil Rights issues final rule scaling back nondiscrimination requirements for health care covered entities as Supreme Court broadens discrimination protections

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services filed a Notice of Enforcement Decision on Friday, April 26, 2019, announcing a new system of annual penalty limits for HIPAA violations based on an entity’s level of culpability. The agency revised its previous interpretation of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH…

This month the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has launched an initiative “to more widely investigate the root causes” of HIPAA breaches affecting fewer than 500 individuals, according to an August 18, 2016 OCR email announcement. While Regional Offices will retain discretion to prioritize investigation of smaller breaches, each office is directed to “increase…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued new guidance to help long-term care facilities comply with anti-discrimination obligations when they administer the Minimum Data Set (MDS) patient assessment tool so that the facilities’ residents receive care in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.

Those obligations arise under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.) (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.) (ADA), which prohibit long-term care facilities receiving federal financial assistance from discriminating against individuals based on disability.  The unnecessary placement of residents in an inpatient setting when they could live in a more integrated setting may constitute discrimination under Section 504 and the ADA, as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999).

OCR’s guidance, issued May 20, 2016, includes recommendations concerning MDS administration. OCR issued the guidance after finding that long-term care facilities have misinterpreted certain required questions when administering the MDS to their residents, namely – MDS Section Q, questions Q0400, Q0500 and Q0600.  Those questions, as well as others in Section Q of the MDS, are intended to ensure that long-term care facilities provide all residents with the opportunity to learn about home and community-based services.  The guidance sets forth detailed instructions concerning how operators should answer each of the three questions.  According to OCR, proper administration of these questions is critical to assisting residents to receive services in the most integrated setting.
Continue Reading HHS Office of Civil Rights Releases Guidance for Long-Term Care Facilities Using the Minimum Data Set to Facilitate Opportunities to Live in the Most Integrated Setting

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has published a notice requesting information to inform implementation of section 1557 of the ACA, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability under certain health programs or activities. The provision applies broadly to any health program or activity that…

HHS has released enhanced “National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care,” which is a series of guidelines to inform and facilitate practices related to culturally and linguistically appropriate health services. The 15 standards, which were developed by the HHS Office of Minority Health, comprehensively update earlier national…

This post was also written by Elizabeth D. O’Brien.

On January 25, 2013, the HHS Office for Civil Rights published its long-awaited final rule implementing major changes to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Breach Notification, and Enforcement Rules mandated by the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act). Among other…