November 2014

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights

BULLETIN: HIPAA Privacy in Emergency Situations



In light of the Ebola outbreak and other events, the U.S. Department of Health 
and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), is providing a bulletin 
to ensure that HIPAA covered entities and their business associates are aware of 
the ways in which patient information may be shared under the HIPAA Privacy Rule 
in an emergency situation, and to serve as a reminder that the protections of 
the Privacy Rule are not set aside during an emergency.

The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects the privacy of patients' health information 
(protected health information) but is balanced to ensure that appropriate uses 
and disclosures of the information still may be made when necessary to treat a 
patient, to protect the nation's public health, and for other critical purposes.

OCR's bulletin on HIPAA Privacy in Emergency Situations may be found at:  
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/special/emergency/hipaa-privacy-emergency-situations.pdf
Additional guidance on HIPAA in Emergency Situations: Preparedness, Planning, 
and Response can be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/special/emergency/index.html

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This email is being sent to you from the OCR-Privacy-List listserv, operated by 
the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the US Department of Health and Human 
Services.

This is an announce-only list, a resource to distribute information about the 
HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. For additional information on a wide range of 
topics about the Privacy and Security Rules, please visit the OCR Privacy 
website at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/index.html. You can also call the OCR 
Privacy toll-free phone line at (866) 627-7748. Information about OCR's civil 
rights authorities and responsibilities can be found on the OCR home page at 
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/index.html.

If you believe that a person or organization covered by the Privacy and Security 
Rules (a "covered entity") violated your health information privacy rights or 
otherwise violated the Privacy or Security Rules, you may file a complaint with 
OCR.  For additional information about how to file a complaint, visit OCR's web 
page on filing complaints at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/index.html.

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