The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a new program to implement and enforce statutory and regulatory requirements that protect the confidentiality of substance use disorder (SUD) patient records. This program marks the first time civil enforcement mechanisms will be available to protect the confidentiality of SUD patient records by covered SUD programs.
鈥淎t President Trump鈥檚 direction, HHS is aggressively enforcing federal safeguards to protect substance use disorder patient records as part of the Great American Recovery Initiative,鈥� said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 鈥淎mericans seeking treatment for substance use disorder deserve comprehensive care without sacrificing their privacy or legal protections.鈥�