On February 8, 2024, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) published its final rule updating the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records regulations under 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (Part 2), bringing Part 2 requirements closer to the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). The changes take effect on February 16, 2026, and will materially impact how SUD programs and healthcare providers structure privacy compliance around SUD records.

Read more: HHS Publishes Final Rule Update SUD Confidentiality