Nixon Peabody LLP

  • People
  • Capabilities
  • Insights
  • About

Trending Topics

    • People
    • Capabilities
    • Insights
    • About
    • Locations
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Alumni

    Practices

    View All

    • Affordable Housing
    • Community Development Finance
    • Corporate & Finance
    • Cybersecurity & Privacy
    • Environmental
    • Franchising & Distribution
    • Government Investigations & White Collar Defense
    • Healthcare
    • Intellectual Property
    • International Services
    • Labor & Employment
    • Litigation
    • Private Wealth & Advisory
    • Project Finance
    • Public Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Regulatory & Government Relations

    Industries

    View All

    • Cannabis
    • Consumer
    • Energy
    • Entertainment
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare
    • Higher Education
    • Infrastructure
    • Manufacturing
    • Non Profit
    • Real Estate
    • Technology

    Value-Added Services

    View All

    • Alternative Fee Arrangements

      Developing innovative pricing structures and alternative fee agreement models that deliver additional value for our clients.

    • Continuing Education

      Advancing professional knowledge and offering credits for attorneys, staff and other professionals.

    • Crisis Advisory

      Helping clients respond correctly when a crisis occurs.

    • DEI Strategic Services

      Providing our clients with legal, strategic, and practical advice to make transformational changes in their organizations.

    • eDiscovery

      Leveraging law and technology to deliver sound solutions.

    • Global Services

      Delivering seamless service through partnerships across the globe.

    • Innovation

      Leveraging leading-edge technology to guide change and create seamless, collaborative experiences for clients and attorneys.

    • IPED

      Industry-leading conferences focused on affordable housing, tax credits, and more.

    • Legal Project Management

      Providing actionable information to support strategic decision-making.

    • Legally Green

      Teaming with clients to advance sustainable projects, mitigate the effects of climate change, and protect our planet.

    • Nixon Peabody Trust Company

      Offering a range of investment management and fiduciary services.

    • NP Capital Connector

      Bringing together companies and investors for tomorrow’s new deals.

    • NP Second Opinion

      Offering fresh insights on cases that are delayed, over budget, or off-target from the desired resolution.

    • NP Trial

      Courtroom-ready lawyers who can resolve disputes early on clients’ terms or prevail at trial before a judge or jury.

    • Social Impact

      Creating positive impact in our communities through increasing equity, access, and opportunity.

    1. Home
    2. Insights
    3. Articles
    4. OCR Guidance for Contacting COVID-19 Survivors About Blood and Plasma DonationArticles

    Article

    OCR Guidance for Contacting COVID-19 Survivors About Blood and Plasma Donation

    June 19, 2020

    Share

    By Valerie Montague

    The HIPAA regulations permit the use of protected health information for patient outreach to help treat others with COVID-19.

    On June 12, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance describing to healthcare providers that are regulated under HIPAA how they may permissibly use protected health information (PHI) to contact patients regarding blood and plasma donation opportunities. The guidance outlines how hospitals and other providers can reach out to patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to connect them with donation opportunities that may benefit others who have the virus.

    Outreach to patients who have recovered from COVID-19 is permissible under the HIPAA regulations as a population-based activity that is related to improving health. It also may be permissible for the provider’s case management functions or for care coordination purposes. These exceptions also permit healthcare providers to use patient information to identify patients diagnosed with COVID-19 for the purpose of this outreach. OCR notes, however, that any use or disclosure of protected health information for these purposes must be limited to the minimum necessary to conduct this outreach.

    OCR cautions that providers conducting outreach to patients may not receive payment from or on behalf of blood or plasma donation centers in exchange for conducting this patient outreach unless the patients provide written authorization.

    Hospitals and other healthcare providers also must be careful if they transfer protected health information to a vendor for this outreach, or if they intend to provide patient information to a blood or plasma center to allow the center to reach out to individuals. Doing so without patient authorization may be a violation of HIPAA, unless the vendor or center is assisting the hospital with otherwise-permissible patient outreach, and unless the parties have a HIPAA business associate agreement in place.

    Privacy

    Practices

    Health Information - Privacy, Security, and Data SharingHealthcareCybersecurity & Privacy

    Subscribe to stay informed of the latest legal news, alerts, and business trends.Subscribe

    • People
    • Capabilities
    • Insights
    • About
    • Locations
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Alumni
    • © 2023 Nixon Peabody. All rights reserved
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Statement of Client Rights
    • Supplier Diversity Program
    • Nixon Peabody International LLC
    • PAL