What it does
- Centralize notice content — draft once; maintain versions and effective dates across jurisdictions (HIPAA covered-entity notices, GDPR notices, state-privacy disclosures)
- Distribute and acknowledge — publish to your website, patient portal, or app; track acknowledgments
- Manage versions — when uses and disclosures change, create a new version with an effective date; prior versions remain archived as evidence
- Evidence publication — maintain a dated record of which notice was active on each date for audits and regulatory inquiries
How to publish a privacy notice
Adopt the privacy-notice policy template
Go to Compliance → Policies → Canonical Library and browse the Privacy category. Select Notice of Privacy Practices or Privacy Notice Policy. Click Adopt. Regentra pre-populates the template with content placeholders.
Customize the notice
Click Edit on the adopted policy. Tailor the uses-and-disclosures section, list specific vendors (if required by your jurisdiction), add state-law addendums, and update contact information. Save as draft.
Route for legal review
Click Send for Review. Assign your Privacy Officer or Legal reviewer. Once approved, the publish button unlocks.
Set the effective date and publish
Click Publish Version. Set the effective date (when the new notice applies). If replacing an older notice, confirm the prior version and supersession date. Click Confirm. Regentra timestamps publication and archives the prior version.
Material changes and re-publication
When you change your uses and disclosures, security practices, or data-retention periods, you’re making a material change. Regulators require that you:- Don’t apply revised terms retroactively — use a future effective date, usually 30-60 days out
- Notify affected individuals — email, mail, or in-app notification of the change and where to review the new notice
- Archive the old notice — Regentra keeps prior versions available with effective and supersession dates
- Click Edit on the current published version
- Make changes and save as draft
- Click New Version to increment (e.g. v1.0 → v1.1)
- Route for legal review, set a future effective date, and publish
- Notify individuals of the change
Regulatory context
- HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices — must include uses and disclosures, individual rights, your privacy duties, and contact info. Provide at first service, post at your facility and on your website, and on request. The OCR closely monitors notice content and distribution.
- GDPR / CCPA / state laws — privacy notices must be clear and transparent, explain your legal basis, data practices, and individual rights. Material changes must be notified in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need separate notices for HIPAA and GDPR?
Do I need separate notices for HIPAA and GDPR?
You can use one unified notice that addresses all jurisdictions you operate in, as long as you include all required content for each. Regentra’s template library includes both HIPAA-focused and jurisdiction-neutral starting points.
What happens if I update my notice but forget to republish?
What happens if I update my notice but forget to republish?
Regentra marks your draft as “unsaved changes” and highlights it in your policy list. Until you click Publish Version, your old notice remains live. Regentra never auto-publishes drafts.
Can I version-control who sees which notice?
Can I version-control who sees which notice?
Yes. Each published version has an effective date and a supersession date. Your website widget always serves the current version. If asked which notice was active on a specific date, the audit log shows the answer.
How do I handle state-specific or multi-language notices?
How do I handle state-specific or multi-language notices?
Adopt the same base policy multiple times (once per state or language) and customize each. Or include state addendums as inline sections. Either way, publish each version separately.
A regulator wants all versions from the past 3 years — how do I export?
A regulator wants all versions from the past 3 years — how do I export?
Open the notice policy and scroll to Version History. Click Export All Versions for a PDF or JSON with every version, effective dates, and approvers.