Government Regulations on Substance Abuse Programs

Substance abuse programs serve multitudes of individuals who are usually in crisis. As such, a myriad of government regulations set uniform standards for these programs, some of which are detailed in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 42 - Public Health. These standards ensure the safety of the public pursuant to federal regulations.

Confidentiality

• Federal regulations under the umbrella of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provide for patient confidentiality for participants in substance abuse treatment programs. Criminal penalties apply to facilities who violate these laws. However, legislation makes exceptions for legal purposes, medical emergencies and to protect individual safety.

Opioid Treatment

• Federal regulations also govern the certification of opioid treatment programs, which addresses methadone clinics. Just a few of the areas covered include the application process for approval, treatment standards, reevaluation and certification suspension.

Grants

• Substance abuse programs are entitled to apply for grant funding under the federal guidelines for qualifying community health programs. Agencies must follow strict application criteria, nondiscrimination procedures and use of funding requirements.

Identifiers

• As part of the HIPAA legislation, substance abuse programs must remove all personal identifiers from any information released for general or research purposes. This includes expected information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers and dates, but additional information is protected as well. Additional covered information includes email information, websites, health care information, photographs, biometric information, vehicle identifiers and any other numbers or account information.

Security

• HIPAA also protects the security of information for substance abuse programs. Agencies must specifically address technological, physical and administrative safety concerns. Required areas must be addressed. Addressable issues mean a documented attempt must be made to apply them, even if this goal cannot be accomplished. Risk analysis updates must be performed to review the vulnerability of the agency. All employees must also participate in security training.

Code Information

• HIPAA also regulates the transfer of data, usually electronically, between parties like substance abuse programs and health insurance companies. These codes or transactions include authorizations and referrals, eligibility, payments, claims and enrollment. Format and content must follow specific predetermined standards for the transmittal of transactions. Abbreviated codes apply to different types of paperwork.