Childhood Obesity Preventer

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Rule (Info Blocking Rule) prohibits covered actors – including health care providers, health IT developers of certified health IT, and health information exchanges/health information networks– from engaging in practices likely to interfere with, prevent, or materially discourage access, exchange, or use of electronic health information (EHI). The Info Blocking Rule includes eight exceptions that provide actors with certainty that, when their practice interferes with the access, exchange, or use of EHI and meets the conditions of one or more exception, such practice will not be considered information blocking. An actor’s practice that does not meet all the conditions of an exception will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine whether information blocking has occurred.

New guidelines from SAMHSA released in July 2020 are designed to improve coordination of care for patients in treatment for substance disorder, while protecting confidentiality against unauthorized disclosure and use of patient information. View this HITEQ webinar on changes to SAMHSA’s 42 CFR Part 2 rule (Part 2) which protects individuals receiving substance use disorder treatment by defining privacy and security requirements for written, electronic and verbal information. This webinar features expert presenters from the University of New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice and the Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information who present on the new final Part 2 rule and future changes in the CARES Act, including what has changed, what has not changed, what this means for health centers in regard to consents and disclosures, and the implications for care coordination. This presentation also addresses privacy considerations for tele-behavioral health and exceptions during the state of emergency waiver.

The coronavirus pandemic and consequent stay-at-home orders may increase danger for those at risk for or experiencing intimate partner violence and human trafficking (IPV/HT). Due to COVID-19, many health centers have shifted health encounters to virtual platforms, which offer unique opportunities to provide trauma-informed care and connect in new ways with those who may be experiencing abuse. Yet, telehealth and virtual visits also present health centers with new challenges related to privacy, safety and digital health equity. Given these changes in care delivery — and the inclusion of new Uniform Data System (UDS) data elements to capture IPV/HT diagnoses and services — health centers need information about how to identify and support patients at risk for or experiencing IPV/HT and leverage their health IT to provide and document care appropriately. In this webinar, presenters from the HITEQ Center and Futures Without Violence:

--Describe how health centers can implement an evidence-based, trauma-informed intervention for IPV/HT called CUES during virtual or in-person visits

--Review the newly included UDS data elements designed to capture IPV/HT diagnoses and services taking place within health centers

--Outline key considerations around privacy, safety, and equity for providing care through virtual platforms to patients at risk for or experiencing IPV/HT

--Feature promising strategies from health centers that have explored how to utilize health IT to support quality clinical care and data collection for IPV/HT

In the 2019-2020 contract year, as part of the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative HITEQ conducted an environmental scan to determine the role of EHRs and health IT in health center capacity and ability to expand HIV screening and prevention. The full report is available for download. 

Health centers are actively expanding the substance use treatment services they offer in the community to address access to care for opioid use disorders, and more broadly to address better screening, referral and timely access to all substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. The downloadable case study below is an example of how a health center is assessing operations to comply with 42 CFR Part 2, with a particular focus on changes to their health information technology (IT) systems.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Fact Sheets regarding the Substance Abuse Confidentiality Regulations. 

Two fact sheets include: 

• Disclosure of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records: Does Part 2 Apply to Me?
  • This fact sheet explains a 42 CFR Part 2 Program and how healthcare providers can determine how Part 2 applies to them.
• Disclosure of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records: How Do I Exchange Part 2 Data?
  • This fact sheet describes how 42 CFR Part 2 applies to the electronic exchange of healthcare records with a Part 2 Program.

FAQs about Applying the Substance Abuse Confidentiality Regulations, answers provided by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

This 2017 webinar explored the history and recent changes of 42 CFR Part 2, reviewed common definitions, and how the changes may affect integrated medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) programs, and discussion on LifeLong Medical Care’s experience.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has developed a Cyber Security Checklist and a corresponding Cyber Security Infographic that explains the steps for a HIPAA covered entity or its business associate (the entity) to take in response to a cyber-related security incident. 

Health Centers are made up of many different levels of IT Security & Privacy expertise, both in terms of staff skills and organizational maturity. This resource will help guide both beginners and more advanced staff and leadership to understanding how to best manage and promote security and privacy risk management at their health center.

This presentation will focus on current research that explains the most prevalent cyber attacks plaguing the healthcare industry, outline security technology that can best keep clinical staff safe from cyber attacks and provide a framework that hospitals can utilize to augment their security posture.