Our Mission
PHI regulations protect patient privacy, give you flexibility to provide the best possible treatment, and help clarify the boundaries in protecting and sharing patient information.
The Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (also known as the CoE-PHI) is funded by SAMHSA to assist people and organizations to understand and apply federal health privacy laws and regulations –on the job, specific to their task or role, and to help patients and families know what their rights are when seeking and receiving treatment for Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health.
Approach
Designed to provide assistance and support to healthcare teams, state agencies, school professionals, and the consumers and families they serve, the CoE-PHI helps to answer these questions through:
- Expert training provided virtually through national webinars and face-to-face (limited amount annually)
- Individualized Technical Assistance provided remotely
- eLearning Modules
- Archived Webinars (some offering continuing education units)
- Resources and tools that can be accessed 24/7 to help you confidently interpret and apply privacy regulations on the job and in your practice.
Resources, training, technical assistance, and any other information provided through the CoE-PHI do not constitute legal advice.
Team and Advisors
The CoE-PHI is administered by CAI (Cicatelli Associates Inc.) in partnership with the Legal Action Center (LAC) and funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
CAI is a nationally recognized leadership, workforce, and systems-strengthening capacity building provider. The Legal Action Center (LAC), the only non-profit law firm in the U.S. with long-standing and specific expertise in interpreting and applying privacy laws in practice.
Combined, our team has expertise in PHI laws and regulations, organization and delivery of SUD, mental health, and healthcare services, school-based systems for providing healthcare, consumer and family engagement, workforce development, training, technical assistance, and systems strengthening.
Jacqueline Seitz, JD
Health Privacy Lead
TEST
Christine Khaikin, JD
Senior Health Privacy Associate
Scott Wells, JD
Privacy Law Compliance Senior Associate
Amber Black, JD
Health Privacy Associate
Mary Dino, LCSW
Mental Health Lead
Sally Friedman, JD
LAC Project Co-Lead
Michael Graziano, MPA
Project Director
National Advisory Group
The CoE-PHI has convened a national advisory group, comprised of experts in the field and national associations that represent SUD and mental health program administrators, providers, and the patients and families they serve. The group makes sure that CoE-PHI activities are responsive to the needs of the field. Members act as advisors in the development of CoE-PHI training and technical assistance activities, resources and educational materials and promote broad awareness of CoE-PHI resources throughout their networks.
American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, Inc. (AATOD)
Mark W. Parrino, MPA- President
American Medical Association (AMA)
Laura Hoffman, JD
American School Health Association (ASHA)
Jeanie Alter, PhD, MCHES, CPS, FASHA
Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Coordinator Office
Laurie Krom, MS- Co-Director
Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network (ATTC)
Nancy Roget, Co-Director, Mountain Plains ATTC, and Executive Director, Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT)
Faces & Voices of Recovery
Patty McCarthy Metcalf, MA, Executive Director
NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals
Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, BSW, NCACII, CDCIII, SAP, Executive Director
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD)
Ron Manderscheid, PhD, Executive Director
National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery (NAMA-R)
Joycelyn Sue Woods, MA, CARC, CMA, Executive Director
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD)
Robert Morrison- Executive Director
Melanie Whitter- Director of Research and Program Applications
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD)
Aaron J. Walker, MPA- Policy Manager
National Latino Behavioral Health Association
INDIVIDUAL EXPERT ADVISOR
H. Westley Clark, MD, JD, MPH
Learn More About SAMHSA’s Technical Assistance and Technology Transfer Centers:
- Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network Coordinating Office
- Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network Coordinating Office
- Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office
- SMI Adviser
- Opioid Response Network
- Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS) – Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
- National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders
- National Family Support TA Center
- Homeless and Housing Resource Center
- National Peer-Run Training and TA Center for Addiction Recovery Peer Support
- Center of Excellence – Behavioral Health Equity – African American
- Center of Excellence – Behavioral Health Equity – LGBTQ
- E4 Center for BH Disparities in Aging
This website is supported by SAMHSA of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award with 100% funded by SAMHSA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by SAMHSA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.