Office for Civil Rights Announces Civil Enforcement Program for Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records

Published: 02/23/2026

Sources:
  • Office for Civil Rights (OCR),
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Relevant To:
  • Rural Emergency Hospitals,
  • Telehealth,
  • Urgent Care,
  • Behavioral Health - Outpatient,
  • Dialysis Facilities,
  • Medical Office,
  • Critical Access Hospitals,
  • Home Health,
  • Hospitals,
  • Community Mental Health Centers,
  • Ambulatory Care,
  • Clinical Lab,
  • Pharmacy,
  • Behavioral Health - Inpatient,
  • Rural Health Clinics

On February 13, 2026, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a new program to implement and enforce statutory and regulatory requirements that protect the confidentiality of substance use disorder (SUD) patient records. This program marks the first time civil enforcement mechanisms will be available to protect the confidentiality of SUD patient records by covered SUD programs.

The new program executes the SUD confidentiality provisions …

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