Protecting Confidentiality

LAC advocates to maintain and protect the civil rights and privacy of people with histories of alcohol and drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, and criminal justice records. LAC has played a lead role in ensuring that  the federal law and regulations governing Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records (42 United States Code section 290dd-2 and 42 C.F.R. Part 2) and the new regulations issued pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) and state laws protect the confidentiality of alcohol and drug records. 

LAC strongly endorses the goals underlying "E-health" initiatives and will work to ensure confidentiality requirements are maintained with these new developments.  Giving both patients and their health care providers effective, real-time access to health information that is relevant to their care through an integrated electronic health record can greatly improve the quality and coordination of the care that individuals receive, for behavioral (substance use/mental health) as well as physical health conditions.   We also strongly support the goal of designing these electronic health information systems so that they include, and are constructed to allow health care providers appropriate access to, records of an individual's treatment for alcohol and drug disorders.  

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