[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8363-8364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3663]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Office for Civil Rights; Workshop on the HIPAA Privacy Rule's De-
Identification Standard; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Office for Civil Rights, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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    This notice announces a forthcoming workshop organized by the 
Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The meeting will be open to the public.
    General Purpose of the Meeting: Section 13424 (c) of the Health 
Information Technology for Clinical and Economic Health (HITECH) Act, 
part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA),\1\ 
requires HHS to issue guidance on methods for de-identification of 
protected health information as designated in the Health Insurance 
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. In response to 
this mandate, OCR is soliciting stakeholder input from experts with 
practical technical and policy experience to inform the creation of 
guidance materials. OCR is collecting views regarding de-identification 
approaches, best practices for

[[Page 8364]]

implementation and management of the current de-identification standard 
and potential changes to address policy concerns.
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    \1\ Public Law 111-5.
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    To facilitate timely collection of information, OCR is organizing 
an in-person two (2)-day workshop that will consist of multiple panels. 
Each panel will address a specific topic related to the Privacy Rule's 
de-identification methodologies and policies. The workshop will be open 
to the public and each panel presentation will be followed by a 
question-answer period. At the present time, this is the only workshop 
planned.

Date and Time: The meeting will be held on March 8, 2010, from 8 a.m. 
to 5:15 p.m./Eastern Time and March 9, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 
a.m.

Location: Washington Marriott at Metro Center, 775 12th Street NW., 
Washington, District of Columbia 20005. The hotel telephone number is 
202-737-2200.

Contact Person: Andra Wicks, Office for Civil Rights, HHS, 200 
Independence Ave, SW., Washington, DC 20201, 202-205-2292, Fax: 202-
205-4786, e-mail: [email protected]. Please call the contact person 
for information on this meeting, view workshop updates on our Web site 
at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy, or register for the workshop at 
https://www.fedmeetings.net/common/registration.cfm?mid=2852.
    Agenda: The two (2)-day workshop will explore the following topics 
related to the de-identification of protected health information 
standard \2\:
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    \2\ 45 CFR 164.514(b).

--Methodological Issues Associated with HIPAA Privacy Rule De-
Identification.
--Statistical Disclosure Control and HIPAA Privacy Rule Protections.
--Anonymization and the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
--Policy Interpretations of HIPAA Privacy Rule De-Identification 
Requirements.
--De-Identification and Legal Contracts.

    Each ninety (90) minute panel will include presentations by 
industry experts followed by a discussion period. The discussion will 
include questions posed by workshop participants and the general public 
attending the meeting in-person and via Web cast.
    OCR intends to make background material available to the public no 
later than two (2) business days prior to the meeting. If OCR is unable 
to post the background material on its Web site prior to the meeting, 
it will be made publicly available at the location of the workshop, and 
the background material will be posted on OCR's Web site after the 
meeting, at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy.
    Procedure: Interested persons may present data, information, or 
views, orally or in writing, on issues pending before the workshop. 
Written submissions may be made to [email protected], with the 
workshop title ``Workshop on the HIPAA Privacy Rule's De-Identification 
Standard'' in the subject line on or before Friday, March 5, 2010.
    Oral comments from the public will be permitted after each panel. 
Time allotted for each presentation is limited to three minutes. If the 
number of speakers requesting to comment is greater than can be 
reasonably accommodated during the scheduled open public hearing 
session, OCR will take written comments after the meeting until Friday, 
March 12, 2010.
    After the workshop, OCR will synthesize the input from workshop 
panelists and general comments to incorporate into guidance. The 
guidance will be posted on the OCR Web site for public comment. OCR may 
provide revised guidance incorporating the public comment.
    OCR welcomes the attendance of the public at this workshop. Seating 
is limited at the location, and OCR will make every effort to 
accommodate persons with physical disabilities or special needs. If you 
require special accommodations due to a disability, please contact 
Andra Wicks at least seven (7) days in advance of the meeting.

    Dated: February 17, 2010.
Zinethia L. Clemmons,
Health Information Privacy Specialist, Office for Civil Rights, Health 
Information Privacy Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-3663 Filed 2-23-10; 8:45 am]
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