As the House Energy and Commerce Committee prepares to craft comprehensive legislation to address the nation’s opioid epidemic, AHA today urged the committee to report legislation to align 42 CFR Part 2 with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. “Congress must amend this law, which impedes the sharing of critical patient information that is necessary to deliver the most effective and efficient care,” AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels said in a letter to committee leaders. “Applying the same requirements to all patient information − whether behavioral or medical − would support the appropriate information sharing essential for clinical care coordination and population health improvement, while safeguarding patient information from unwarranted disclosure. H.R. 3545 would achieve these goals and we, therefore, urge the Committee to report this important legislation as introduced.” Tomorrow afternoon, the committee will convene a two-day hearing on more than 30 bills to address the opioid crisis through Medicare and Medicaid coverage and payment policies.
 

Related News Articles

Headline
The Senate narrowly passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) on July 1 by a 50-50 tally, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.…
Headline
The AHA June 29 sent a letter to senators urging them to amend the budget reconciliation bill before its final passage in the Senate. The Senate version of the…
Headline
The latest video in the AHA’s series “Medicaid: Real Lives, Real Care” features Melissa Fannon-Wisner, DNP, nurse educator and nurse practitioner at Valley…
Headline
In a Q&A, Becky Pletzer, a social worker and mother, explains how critical Medicaid has been to support her son with disabilities, and why cuts to the…
Blog
Public
A Q&A with Becky Pletzer, social worker and parent to a son with disabilities Q: Can you tell me about yourself and your family?A: I’m Dr. Becky…
Headline
A new advertisement by the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare highlights President Trump’s comments to “love and cherish” and “not touch” the…