AAHC applauds OCR's proposed privacy protections rule

The Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) stated it supports the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights' (OCR) proposed rule issued last week furthering privacy protections for patients.

Under the proposed rule, posted in the Federal Register on May 31, individuals would have the right to know which individuals and entities access their protected health information and to obtain a report with this information.

The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit AAHC, which represents more than 100 academic health centers, commended the OCR's efforts “to alleviate unnecessary compliance and administrative burdens that accounting for disclosure requirements have placed on covered entities, and applauds its efforts responding to specific concerns of the research community.”

"The AAHC is pleased with the OCR and its positive response to our recommendations and those of other stakeholders," the organization stated, adding that "the accounting for disclosure requirement of the HIPAA Privacy Rule has proved to be excessive and burdensome for the nation's biomedical research enterprise."

"The AAHC looks forward to continuing to collaborate with the HHS and the OCR to develop regulations that protect the privacy of research participants as well as advance our nation's research aspirations and progress," added Steven A. Wartman, AAHC President and CEO.

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