New HIPAA Privacy Notice Template Released

Posted by BAS - 10 October, 2013

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The Department of Health and Human Services released new model notices that health plans and health care providers may use to satisfy their HIPAA Privacy Notice distribution obligations. The model notices are user-friendly and customizable.

Under HIPAA, covered entities, including employer health plans, must provide a notice to plan participants or patients describing the covered entity’s privacy practices and an individual’s right to receive his or her personal health information. For reference, this is the notice that a patient receives at the doctor’s office and the notice that the health plan provides upon enrollment. The notice is required to be distributed upon enrollment in the plan, and a reminder about the availability of the notice must be provided every three years. Many employers choose to send the notice annually as part of open enrollment materials so they do not have to keep track of the three year reminder period.

The new model notices are intended to help plans and providers comply with their HIPAA notice requirements and reflect recent changes in HIPAA made by the Omnibus HIPAA Rules. There are three different styles provided as models: a booklet style, a layered notice style, and a formatted full-page Word document style.

Employers with insured plans should confirm that the insurer is distributing the required notice, and employers with self-funded plans should update their notices for distribution. A copy of the model notices can be accessed by clicking here.

Topics: Health Care Reform (ACA)


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