Government and public statistics
45 CFR 164.501 Definitions (HIPAA Privacy Rule)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 2024
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- The regulatory text that defines 'psychotherapy notes' under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The definition covers notes kept apart from the rest of the medical record, and it excludes items such as medication records and session times.
- How much weight it carries
- Primary legal text, mirrored by Cornell's Legal Information Institute. Check the current eCFR version before relying on exact wording, since the rule is amended from time to time.
Facts taken from this source
- Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, psychotherapy notes are notes a mental health professional makes about a counseling conversation, and they must be separated from the rest of the individual's medical record.
“Psychotherapy notes means notes recorded (in any medium) by a health care provider who is a mental health professional documenting or analyzing the contents of conversation during a private counseling session or a group, joint, or family counseling session and that are separated from the rest of the individual's medical record.” (Definitions, Psychotherapy notes)