The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued the first in a series of guidance materials on new federal privacy protections for medical records and other personal health information. The guidance explains and clarifies key provisions of the medical privacy regulation published last December. You can access this guidance on the Web at www.hhs.gov

The original regulation left many unanswered questions and some ambiguities. This guidance answers some of these. For instance, the guidance makes clear that hospitals do not have to build private, soundproof rooms to prevent overheard conversations about a patient's condition, as some believed. It also indicates that the rule does allow friends or relatives to pick up a patient's prescription at the pharmacy.

The key issues of concern covered by the guidance were reflected in 11,000 separate public comments on the final rule.

HHS Will Not Implement MEDS Act Because of Drug Safety Concerns

HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson has notified members of Congress that the safety of prescription drugs could not be adequately guaranteed if drug re-importation were allowed under the Medicine Equity and Drug Safety Act (MEDS Act). Thompson said the law enacted last year cannot be implemented because of safety concerns. His findings reaffirm the decision made last December by former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala.