Compliance & Legal

On the surface, like with other HHS settlements, it may seem harsh, regarding only the amount of money vis-a-vis the number of patients affected. But it's important to consider what OCR is trying to accomplish.

Much of the worldwide spending increase on APIs, data integration, analytics and more will be driven by governmental regulations and policy requirements, analysts said.

The Rhode Island health system has settled with OCR for the HIPAA violation after an employee's computer went missing – with protected health information of 20,431 individuals left accessible.

The agency will accept suggestions for new data classes for the United States Core Data for Interoperability, via its new ONDEC system, through Oct. 9.

In a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, scores of medical associations called on the agency to sunset waivers related to scope of practice and licensure once the pandemic has subsided.

The House bill, introduced last week, would eliminate most geographic and originating site restrictions on the use of telehealth in Medicare, a broadly popular provision.

Among the takeaways at this week's Telehealth Innovation Forum: Those hoping for long-term state licensure waivers across the board may be in for disappointment.

The public health, research, medical, science and legal organizations all voiced concerns about data availability and transparency under the new process, which instructs hospitals to bypass the CDC and report directly to HHS.

HIMSS Government Relations VP Tom Leary said House members were likely to address originating site requirements and the types of providers that can be reimbursed for telehealth.

Judge Theodore Chuang found that the in-person FDA requirements for medication abortion impose a "substantial obstacle" for patients during the COVID-19 crisis.