Department Of Health And Human Services Message To Our Nation’s Health Care Providers

January 15, 2013
On January 15, 2013, Leon Rodriguez, director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, published a message for all health care providers in response to mass shootings in the communities of Newtown, CT, and Aurora, CO. The open letter was to ensure that all healthcare providers are aware that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule does not prevent a health care provider from an ability to disclose necessary information - including information from mental health records - about a patient to law enforcement, family members of the patient . . .