# HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.512(g) — Uses and disclosures about decedents - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-g-uses-and-disclosures-about-decedents - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [HIPAA Security, Privacy & Breach-Notification Rules](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa) › Privacy Rule — §164.512 - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164)**·§ `164.512(g)`·medium·Component: **Privacy Rule** ## What this control requires > Standard: Uses and disclosures about decedents. (1) Coroners and medical examiners. A covered entity may disclose protected health information to a coroner or medical examiner for the purpose of identifying a deceased person, determining a cause of death, or other duties as authorized by law. A covered entity that also performs the duties of a coroner or medical examiner may use protected health information for the purposes described in this paragraph. 164.512(g)(2) Funeral directors. A covered entity may disclose protected health information to funeral directors, consistent with applicable law, as necessary to carry out their duties with respect to the decedent. If necessary for funeral directors to carry out their duties, the covered entity may disclose the protected health information prior to, and in reasonable anticipation of, the individual's death. > > — HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164), § 164.512(g) ### In plain English Standard: Uses and disclosures about decedents. In practice, this means you can prove you information management-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters HIPAA non-compliance is a strict-liability matter: OCR civil monetary penalties are assessed per-record per-violation (up to USD 1.9 million per identical-violation calendar year as of 2024), and willful neglect can trigger criminal referral. ## What an auditor looks for HHS OCR investigators and SOC-2+HIPAA auditors look for the specific 45 CFR § citation, whether the safeguard is required vs addressable (and if addressable, the documented decision), the implementation specification, the workforce member responsible, and the records that show it runs. Within **Privacy Rule**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (§ 164.512(g)) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Person.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Other.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Policy.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Law.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, policy, uses, death, applicable law. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Uses and disclosures about decedents. ## Common pitfalls - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**BSI C5:2020 SP-01** — Documentation, communication and provision of policies and instructions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sp-01-documentation-communication-and-provision-of-policies-and-instructions) - [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CP-7(2)** — Accessibility](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-7-2-accessibility) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.5** — Contact with authorities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-5-contact-with-authorities) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC2.3** — External Communication on Internal Control Matters](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc2-3-external-communication-on-internal-control-matters) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.13.15** — Session Authenticity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-13-15-session-authenticity) ## Related controls in HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) - [**§ 164.512(h)** — Uses and disclosures for cadaveric organ, eye or tissue donation](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-h-uses-and-disclosures-for-cadaveric-organ-eye-or-tissue-donation) - [**§ 164.512(k)(3)** — Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - Protective Services](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-k-3-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-protective-services) - [**§ 164.512(k)(2)** — Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - National Security and intelligence activities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-k-2-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-national-security) - [**§ 164.512(f)(4)** — Disclosures for law enforcement purposes- an individual who has died as a result of suspected criminal conduct](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-f-4-disclosures-for-law-enforcement-purposes-an-individual-who-has-died-as-a) - [**§ 164.502(f)** — Deceased individuals](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-502-f-deceased-individuals) - [**§ 164.512(k)(6)** — Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - Providing public benefits](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-k-6-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-providing-public) ## References - [U.S. HHS Office for Civil Rights — HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164)](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/index.html) - Catalogue identifier: `§ 164.512(g)` Topics: governance riskpolicy management ## Related compliance guidance - [HIPAA compliance for SaaS: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa): Start with the full HIPAA implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs. - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Most covered-entity customers accept a SOC 2 Type II report as the independent evidence that your HIPAA controls operate, since no HIPAA attestation exists. - [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): NIST publishes mappings of the Security Rule standards and implementation specifications to SP 800-53 Rev. 5 controls alongside SP 800-66 Rev. 2, so an 800-53 control set doubles as a HIPAA crosswalk.