New HIPAA Waivers Relax Telehealth Restrictions to allow care continuity during COVID-19 Emergency
Doctors in the United States can now use video via messaging apps such as Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, and FaceTime to meet with patients and diagnose illnesses without worrying about violating HIPAA privacy laws.
Due to the Corona Virus crisis, the US government has liberated the norms, and the Department of Health and Human Services has waived penalties for potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act during the crisis. As continuity of care takes precedence over privacy laws, HIPAA norms, which protect patients from potential misuse of their healthcare records and governs the sharing of these records by healthcare providers, have been waived for the period of the crisis.
"During the COVID-19 national emergency, which also constitutes a nationwide public health emergency, covered health care providers subject to the HIPAA Rules may seek to communicate with patients, and provide telehealth services, through remote communications technologies," the HHS said in a statement on Tuesday. Please note that the notification lists only specific services as HIPAA compliant.
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