The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published a proposed rule on February 9, 2016 that is intended to modernize regulations governing the confidentiality of substance abuse records to ensure that patients with substance use disorders have the ability to participate in new integrated health care models that emphasize coordinated care while addressing patients' privacy concerns. In particular, the rule seeks to facilitate the electronic exchange of substance use disorder information for treatment and other legitimate health care purposes, while ensuring appropriate confidentiality protections for records that might identify an individual, directly or indirectly, as having or having had a substance use disorder. Comments on the rule will be accepted until April 11, 2016.
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