Upcoming Deadline Fast Approaching for Group Health Plans to Revise HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
Entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), such as group health plans, that receive or maintain substance use disorder (SUD) treatment records from programs subject to federal requirements must ensure that their Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) complies with new regulations by February 16, 2026 . Employers that sponsor self-funded group health plans should review their current NPP and make necessary changes to maintain compliance ahead of this important compliance deadline. What Is Changing in NPPs? In 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule modifying the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (Privacy Rule) under HIPAA. The Privacy Rule requires HIPAA-covered entities to update their NPP to reflect new requirements for protecting SUD records, as mandated by Congress in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. SUD records...