Source: https://www.foley.com/en/insights/publications/2020/03/covid19-cares-act-federal-substance-privacy-law
Timestamp: 2020-08-09 03:04:44
Document Index: 718629036

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 290', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2']

COVID-19: CARES Act Overhauls Federal Substance Use Disorder Privacy Law | Blogs | Coronavirus Resource Center:Back to Business | Foley & Lardner LLP
Home Insights COVID-19: CARES Act Overhauls Federal Substance Use Disorder Privacy Law
Authors: Adam J. Hepworth Jennifer J. Hennessy
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) enacted into law on March 27, 2020 makes fundamental changes to the federal law, 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2, implemented at 42 C.F.R. Part 2 that governs the confidentiality of substance-use disorder records (Part 2). Most critically, the CARES Act dramatically eases the ability of health care providers to share protected substance-use disorder information with patient consent, going far beyond both the finalized 2017 revisions to the Part 2 rules and the proposed 2019 changes. It also makes several important changes to align certain Part 2 requirements with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and its implementing regulations (HIPAA).
This represents the single most far-reaching change in the law. Part 2 has long been considered a barrier to information sharing because of the regulatory requirement that a patient’s consent must identify who can receive the information by name (as opposed to a general category or description of the recipient as is permitted under HIPAA). Even though this requirement was relaxed to some extent in 2017 for disclosures to treating providers, it remains a significant obstacle to information sharing. Congress has ensured through these changes that there will no longer be a requirement to identify by name the individual or entity who may receive information pursuant to a written consent.