Trump Administration Loosens Telehealth and HIPAA Rules to Help Combat COVID-19 Crisis
Earlier today, March 17, 2020, the Trump administration announced that, due to the COVID-19 crisis, Medicare providers may now use phone and video conference, including FaceTime and Skype, to see patients, with no penalties. This includes blanket HIPAA waivers, as well as Medicare reimbursement for such services.
“Today we’re also announcing a dramatic expansion of our telehealth services. Medicare patients can now visit any doctor by phone or video conference at no additional cost, including with commonly used services like FaceTime and Skype,” Trump said. “In addition, states have the authority to cover telehealth services for their medical patients.”
Trump added that the administration “will not enforce applicable HIPAA penalties so that doctors can greatly expand care for their patients using telehealth.”
This is breaking news and quickly developing. The attorneys at Chilivis Grubman will continue to monitor and update this alert as necessary. Please continue to stay safe and healthy.