HIV Epidemiology Unit

HIV/AIDS Reporting and HIPAA

For more information send us an email or phone 619-692-8505.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 included legislative deadlines for the creation of federal regulations regarding the privacy of health information. Acting on those deadlines, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services issued the proposed Privacy Rule in 1999. The final Privacy Rule became effective April 14, 2003.

The final Privacy Rule does allow HIV and AIDS reporting as part of permitted disclosures for public health activities (45 CFR § 164.512); no consent or authorization is required. This is supported by California Civil Code §56.10(c)(18).

The CDC has a web document (CDC - HIPAA Privacy Rule and Public Health) addressing common questions regarding HIPAA and public health reporting. In addition, the following are some websites and resources related to HIPAA and reporting.

For more information send us an email or phone 619-692-8505.

Last updated April 25, 2023