The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) protects your rights against discrimination and ensures that your health information is private, secure, and accessible.
Washington, DC
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@HHSOCR settles HIPAA Security Rule investigation with Ambry Genetics after a 2020 phishing attack exposed the protected health information of 225,370 people.
Ambry will pay $700K and follow a 2-year corrective action plan.
Read more here: hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-offic…
#HIPAA #HealthCarePrivacy #Cybersecurity #HIPAACompliance
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No student should have to choose between their faith and their education. @HHSOCR and @TheJusticeDept secured a settlement ending discrimination against Jewish students at Lincoln Memorial University's DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Read the full press release: hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-ocr-a…
#CivilRights #TitleVI #Section1557
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@HHSOCR's investigation finds Duke School of Medicine used race and race-proxies in admissions, violating Title VI and Section 1557.
The investigation is part of the Administration's government-wide effort to end illegal DEI practices in federally funded programs.
Read the press release and findings here: hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-ocr-d…
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The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Williamsport, an acute care hospital, has agreed to a series of reforms to ensure effective communication with patients with disabilities after not providing a sign language interpreter for a deaf patient in its emergency department.
The complaint was investigated under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Read more about the agreement here: hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-ocr-a…
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Today OCR announced it is issuing guidance on federal civil rights laws to protect against discrimination rooted in antisemitism.
This guidance will serve as a central reference document about legal rights and responsibilities and examples of OCR’s enforcement actions to combat antisemitism.
Our letter advances Executive Order 14188, which declares “the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously.”
Read our press release: hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-ocr-i…
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We hope to see you tomorrow at the “Safeguarding Health Information: Building Assurance Through HIPAA Security 2026 Conference,” hosted by @HHSOCR and @NIST. You can still register to participate virtually here:
nist.gov/news-events/events/…
#HIPAA #HealthCarePrivacy #Cybersecurity #HIPAACompliance
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Registration for in-person attendance has officially closed for the “Safeguarding Health Information: Building Assurance Through HIPAA Security 2026 Conference,” hosted by @HHSOCR and @NIST.
However, you can still reserve your virtual seat here: nist.gov/news-events/events/…
#HHS #HIPAA #HealthCarePrivacy #Cybersecurity #HIPAACompliance
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30 years ago this month, Congress laid the foundation for protecting the privacy & security of your health information.
Watch OCR Director Paula Stannard reflect on three decades of HIPAA and what's ahead for the landmark law: piped.video/7qBbsd2y4_Y
#HIPAA #Cybersecurity
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HHS OCR is initiating compliance reviews of 5 medical schools for potential Title VI & Section 1557 violations. These reviews are part of OCR’s Merit-Based Opportunity Enforcement Initiative, launched to root out unlawful race-based discrimination in HHS-funded programs, the health care workforce pipeline, and health care facilities.
Federal antidiscrimination laws apply to programs or initiatives that may involve discriminatory practices, including those labeled as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ("DEI") programs. Entities that receive HHS funds must ensure that their programs and activities comply with federal law and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, religion, or other protected characteristics – no matter the program’s labels, objectives, or intentions.
No program, DEI or otherwise, is above the law.
Read the press release at hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-offic….
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Access granted! You have a right to your health records.
@HHSOCR announces its 55th Right of Access enforcement action, settling with a California healthcare provider for $50,000 after a patient waited nearly 2 years for access to her medical records.
Read the press release at akaprod-www.hhs.gov/press-ro….
#HIPAA #HealthCarePrivacy #Cybersecurity #HIPAACompliance #RightToAccess
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Happy Birthday HIPAA! On this day, 30 years ago, HIPAA began as a law to help Americans keep health coverage when switching jobs and to enable the health care system to run more efficiently. Part of the law evolved into the rules that protect the privacy and security of health information and gave individuals rights to that information.
Today, OCR administers and enforces those rights and protections through investigations, rulemaking, guidance, and outreach.
#HIPAA #HealthCarePrivacy #Cybersecurity #HIPAACompliance
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Federal civil rights laws protect people (including newborn infants) with disabilities from discrimination in healthcare. Under OCR’s Rehabilitation Act Section 504 and ACA Section 1557 regulations, covered healthcare providers may not make medical treatment decisions based on biases or stereotypes about disability or on judgments that a person’s life has less value because of a disability.
Today, OCR underscored these protections and offered technical assistance in a letter to Texas hospitals treating a newborn with disabilities whose care is the subject of widespread public attention and court proceedings following an action by the Texas Attorney General. You can read the letter here: hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-pro…
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These civil rights protections apply to decisions about life-sustaining treatment and other medical care. People with disabilities are entitled to healthcare free from discrimination.
If you believe you or someone else has experienced disability discrimination in healthcare, you can file a complaint with HHS OCR: hhs.gov/ocr/complaints/index…
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The American people understand the importance of conscience rights. HHS is sending a clear message: we will protect religious liberty without apology, enforce civil rights without heed to ideology, and safeguard health information with discipline.
Read our op-ed in the Washington Reporter at washingtonreporter.news/op-e….
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As we mark the ADA's 36th anniversary, HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reaffirms a fundamental principle of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): people with disabilities have the same inherent dignity and equal worth as every other person. (1/3)
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The ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibit discrimination based on disability in many settings, including healthcare. Healthcare decisions must not be influenced by stereotypes, bias, or judgments that a person's life is less valuable because of disability. Steering an individual toward physician-assisted suicide because of disability or assumptions about that person's quality of life may constitute unlawful disability discrimination. The Affordable Care Act also prohibits the use of federal funds for physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing and protects health care providers and entities that decline to participate in those practices. (2/3)
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HHS OCR is committed to enforcing these protections and ensuring that people with disabilities are treated with dignity and respect and receive equal treatment under federal law. If you believe you have experienced disability discrimination in healthcare, you can file a complaint at: hhs.gov/ocr/complaints/index…
#ADA36 #AmericansWithDisabilitiesAct #CivilRights (3/3)
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On this day in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. 36 years later, OCR continues working to ensure people with disabilities have equal access to healthcare and human services.
Visit hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-ind… for more ADA information and resources.
#ADA36 #AmericansWithDisabilitiesAct #CivilRights
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Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), announced a final rule updating its regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to end disparate-impact liability. The rule returns HHS enforcement to Title VI’s statutory command: no person may be excluded from participation in, denied benefits, or subjected to intentional discrimination under an HHS-funded program based on race, color, or national origin. hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-resto…
#CivilRightsAct #HHS #CivilRights #TitleVI
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“Conscience Rights are Civil Rights.”
OCR Director Paula M. Stannard underscored our mission at the Center for Faith and SAMHSA’s Called to Care Behavioral Health event today at HHS.
She emphasized that faith-based organizations are essential partners in HHS’s mission to advance health and well-being. OCR ensures they can serve on equal footing, free from discrimination based on their religious beliefs or moral convictions.
@HHSFaithCenter #FaithBasedProviders #ConscienceRights
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