HHS Announces New Divisions Within the Office for Civil Rights to Better Address Growing Need of Enforcement in Recent Years
February 27, 2023
Today, the HHS, through the OCR, announced the formation of a new Enforcement Division, Policy Division, and Strategic Planning Division.
As HHS’ law enforcement agency, OCR enforces 55 civil rights, conscience and privacy statutes, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009–investigates complaints, conducts compliance reviews, develops policy, promulgates regulations, provides technical assistance, and educates the public about federal civil rights, privacy, and conscience laws.
Through its work, OCR safeguards non-discriminatory access to health and human services, and provides tools for covered entities to comply with their obligations and individuals to understand their rights under the law.