STRATEGIC PLAN - ASPE - U.S. Department of Health and Human ...

CHAPTER 2: Health careUnder Access to Recovery, consumers will continue to havethe ability to choose the path that is personally best forthem and to choose the provider that best meets theirneeds, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.Nondiscrimination and Privacy ProtectionOCR ensures compliance with the nondiscriminationrequirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964(Public Law 88-352), as amended, requiring recipientsof HHS Federal financial assistance to ensure that theirpolicies and procedures do not exclude or limit, or havethe effect of excluding or limiting, the participationof beneficiaries on the basis of race, color, or nationalorigin. These efforts, which reach beneficiaries of allhealth and human service programs that HHS funds,seek to achieve voluntary compliance and correctiveefforts when violations are found. OCR has collaboratedwith the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Justice toproduce a video and informational brochure in multiplelanguages to advise service providers and consumers withlimited English proficiency about their responsibilitiesand rights under Title VI. OCR also enforces the federalprivacy protections for individually identifiable healthinformation provided by the Health Insurance Portabilityand Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. Privacyenforcement activities provide consumer confidence inthe confidentiality of their health information so thatprivacy concerns are not a deterrent to accessing care andfull and accurate information is provided at treatment andpayment encounters.OCR will continue to work with Federal and Statepartners and with providers and consumer groups,including faith-based and community organizations, toensure nondiscriminatory access to health and humanservices, to eliminate health disparities, and to protectthe privacy of identifiable health information.38 HHS Strategic Plan FY 2007-2012