Overview:
(6) Covered entities that are government programs providing public benefits.
(i) A health plan that is a government program providing public benefits may disclose protected health information relating to eligibility for or enrollment in the health plan to another agency administering a government program providing public benefits if the sharing of eligibility or enrollment information among such government agencies or the maintenance of such information in a single or combined data system accessible to all such government agencies is required or expressly authorized by statute or regulation.
(ii) A covered entity that is a government agency administering a government program providing public benefits may disclose protected health information relating to the program to another covered entity that is a government agency administering a government program providing public benefits if the programs serve the same or similar populations and the disclosure of protected health information is necessary to coordinate the covered functions of such programs or to improve administration and management relating to the covered functions of such programs.
Action Items:
1) If the covered entity is a health plan that is a government program providing public benefits, or is a government agency administering a government program providing public benefits, obtain and review the policies and procedures, as well as a sample of such disclosures.
Related Documents:
1) Policies and procedures, as well as a sample of such disclosures.
Additional Guidance:
An authorization is not required to use or disclose protected health information for certain essential government functions. Such functions include: assuring proper execution of a military mission, conducting intelligence and national security activities that are authorized by law, providing protective services to the President, making medical suitability determinations for U.S. State Department employees, protecting the health and safety of inmates or employees in a correctional institution, and determining eligibility for or conducting enrollment in certain government benefit programs.
Article ID: 542
Created: September 29, 2022
Last Updated: September 29, 2022
Author: Matthew Burdick
Online URL: http://www.compliancewiki.org/article/hipaa-privacy-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-providing-public-benefits-164-512-k-6-542.html