Senate urged to vote on Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act

More than 220 organizations, including the AHA, Friday urged Senate committee leaders to consider the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act (H.R. 6082) and encourage Senate leadership to bring the bill to the floor for a vote during the lame-duck session. The House-passed bill would align federal regulations governing the confidentiality of drug and alcohol treatment and prevention records with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and strengthen consumer protections. “Modifying Part 2 to ensure that HIPAA-covered entities have access to a patient’s medical record will improve patient safety, treatment and outcomes across the care delivery spectrum, enhancing the entire opioid package passed by the House and Senate,” the organizations said in a letter to leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.