HIPAA/Medical Records

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule provides federal protections for personal health information held by covered entities and gives patients an array of rights with respect to that information. At the same time, the Privacy Rule is balanced so that it permits the disclosure of personal health information needed for patient care and other important purposes. (Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)

This page is an index of ACHA and other resources on this topic. Resources include association projects, programs, publications, guidelines, and more. Additional information may be available under “External Resources.”

ACHA Resources

Health Information Management Coalition
Provides education, advocacy, and research on HIPAA and health information management.

Campus Litigation and Privacy Act of 2015
On January 4, 2016, ACHA leadership joined colleagues from the American College Counseling Association (ACCA) and the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) in sending a joint letter of support for the Campus Litigation Privacy Act of 2015 to Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. Senator Wyden released the draft bill in September 2015 with Representative Suzanne Bonamici, also of Oregon. The draft bill was modeled after draft guidelines released by the US Department of Education in August 2015, and aims to amend FERPA to provide better protection for student medical records. While the Education Department’s guidelines are voluntary for institutions, the lawmakers seek to limit access to health and mental health care records under the law.

ACHA will continue to monitor activity around the Campus Litigation Privacy Act and keep the membership informed.

Response to U.S. Department of Education's Dear Colleague Letter: Protecting Student Medical Records
On August 18, 2015, the U.S. Department of Education released a Draft Guidance Dear Colleague Letter to School Officials at Institutions of Higher Education on the disclosure of student medical records. The Department requested feedback on the Draft Guidance by October 2, 2015. ACHA leadership collaborated with leadership from the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) and the American College Counseling Association (ACCA) to prepare joint feedback on the Draft Guidance. Our joint response was submitted to the Department of Education on September 30, 2015.
View the Joint Response [pdf]

External Resources

ACHA thanks its committee, coalition, task force, and section volunteers for providing resources and links concerning this topic. ACHA does not endorse or accept responsibility for the content or use of external websites.

Internet Resources by Topic

HIPAA Regulations
Comprehensive Resources
HIPAA Privacy Rule
HIPAA Security

Office of Civil Rights: Guidance Materials for Consumers
Office of Civil Rights: Modules for health care providers on compliance with various aspects of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. A free Medscape.org account is required to view these resources.

Patient Privacy: A Guide for Providers
HIPAA and You: Building a Culture of Compliance
Examining Compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule
The Medscape modules offer free Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for physicians and Continuing Education (CE) credits for health care professionals.

Protecting Student Medical Privacy Webinar
In conjunction with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and other panelists, ACHA Past President Sarah Van Orman, MD, MMM, participated in an important webinar hosted by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) in June 2015. Past focus on the confidentiality of student counseling and medical services provoked a significant national debate about the role — and interplay — of FERPA, HIPAA, and state medical confidentiality laws. In this webinar, the panelists looked at this issue from various legal and ethical viewpoints and provided insight on how to best protect the privacy of student health records.

To view this webinar, please create an account on the IAPP site. The webinar can be viewed at no cost.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Health Information Technology Website