The Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records regulations were originally issued in 1975 to ensure the confidentiality of patient records for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD), at a time when there was no broader privacy and data security standard for protecting healthcare data. Over the years, there have been multiple updates to the original regulations. On August 26, 2019, SAMHSA published a Notice of Proposed Rule making that proposed changes to the regulations that would better align with the needs of individuals with SUD and of those who treat these patients in need, and help facilitate the provision of well coordinated care, while ensuring appropriate confidentiality protection for persons in treatment .
This Final Rule makes important changes that can help safeguard the health and outcomes of individuals with SUD, and specifically takes important first steps toward the greater flexibility for information sharing envisioned by Congress in its passage of the CARES Act. This Final Rule becomes effective August 14, 2020.
To read the full Final Rule, click here.
