Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications during the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency

Yesterday, the Office of Civil Rights issued a bulletin advising medical practitioners that the office will not be enforcing strict HIPAA requirements on televisits. This is great news for both patients and medical providers. An example cited below states that a physician may use his or her own telephone or laptop for a patient consultation, with the patient using his or her own phone or laptop.

This non-enforcement applies during the national health emergency, and it applies to all health conditions, not just COVID-19 conditions. It means that everyone will have easier access to telemedicine and is wonderful timing, considering that most plans have coverage for this service.

You can read the full bulletin here.