News in brief - April 28, 2003

Smallpox compensation plan OK'd - HIPAA help for researchers

Smallpox compensation plan OK'd

Republican and Democratic lawmakers came to a compromise on legislation to establish a smallpox vaccine compensation fund, allowing passage in the House and Senate. President Bush plans to sign the law, a spokesman said.

The final bill included a more generous package of compensation for health workers injured by the vaccine. Workers who become disabled would be eligible for up to $50,000 a year at two-thirds to three-quarters of lost salary. There is no cap for workers with permanent disability and a $262,100 limit for partial disability.

Spouses of workers who die from the vaccine would receive $262,100 in a lump sum, or $50,000 a year until their youngest child turns 18.

The bill also contains liability provisions to protect doctors and hospitals that provide the vaccine. The Bush administration's program called for the inoculation of 500,000 health workers; 31,000 have received the vaccine so far.

HIPAA help for researchers

The Dept. of Health and Human Services has launched a new Web site (privacyruleandresearch.nih.gov/) with educational materials on the federal privacy rule. It is targeted to the research community. The site contains sections for various research-related groups, including clinical researchers, health services researchers, records researchers, institutional review boards, and privacy boards, which are newly defined by the privacy regulations.

The materials are available online, and were put together by several HHS agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Office of Civil Rights, which is overseeing enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's privacy provisions.