OCR Addresses Mental Health, Forms Working Group

In the hustle and bustle of the end of the year, covered entities and business associates could be forgiven if they missed all of the activities that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) engaged in during December. The agency issued its 10th settlement agreement, bringing in $2.3 million to end the year with more than $19 million collected from alleged HIPAA violators (see story, p. 1).

But OCR also announced the launch of companion web pages for providers and patients that focus on mental and behavioral health, including substance abuse. The pages “reorganize existing guidance” to be more “user-friendly and provide a one-stop resource for our new guidance and materials,” OCR said on Dec. 18. Included is a 13-page FAQ that contains updated responses to questions, such as what is incapacity and what rights do minors have.

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