Today, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces proposed changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to support individuals’ engagement in their care, remove barriers to coordinated care, and reduce regulatory burdens on the health care industry.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is part of HHS’s Regulatory Sprint to Coordinated Care, initiated under HHS Secretary Alex Azar’s value-based transformation agenda and led by HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan, which seeks to promote value-based health care by examining federal regulations that impede efforts among health care providers and health plans to better coordinate care for patients.

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