Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The Agency of Human Services, including all 6 Departments, is a Single Covered Entity and must comply with the federal law known as HIPAA.

AHS HIPAA Contacts

AHS Privacy Office

Phone: 802-241-0225  

Email: AHS.PrivacyAndSecurity@vermont.gov

HIPAA Privacy Officer: Bart Gengler
Security Officer: Emily Wivell
AHS Privacy Officer: Greg Needle

Information for Health Plan Beneficiaries and Health Care Patients

AHS HIPAA Breach Notification

HIPAA requires that AHS health plans and health care providers protect the privacy of an individual's health information and provide for its security.

• Notice of Privacy Practices: HIPAA requires that AHS health plans and health care providers give Notices of Privacy Practices to the people they serve. The Notices of Privacy Practices tell beneficiaries and patients about their privacy rights and about how AHS may use or share their health information.
• Health Information Complaints: Beneficiaries and patients can a file a Health Information Privacy Complaint if they believe that their rights have been violated.

Information for Medical Providers

HIPAA requires medical providers and AHS health plans to use transaction standards when electronically exchanging health information of AHS health plan beneficiaries.

• Vermont Medicaid Portal/Claims Processing System Transaction and Code Sets information.
• National Plan and Provider Enumeration System information about applying for a National Provider Identifier.
• HIPAA Web Resources:
  • Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange
  • Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services HIPAA page
  • Office for Civil Rights HIPAA page
  • Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration Confidentiality Regualtions

Information for Researchers

The Vermont Agency of Human Services requires that research conducted by any component of the agency involving human subjects, their health related information and/or any potential risk to human subjects, be approved before the research is begun. The Agency Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews applications concerning research on human subjects or their protected health information when the subjects are Agency clients or recipients of public services or benefits furnished by the Agency AND when the research is proposed by, affiliated with, conducted at the request of, or involves an Agency department, division, program or office.