As we reflect on the flurry of activity in the health care data privacy and security space in 2023 and look ahead to what will continue to be a busy 2024, we are seeing the early stages of federal agency movement to align the...more
1/26/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Security ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Information Blocking Rules ,
Mental Health ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
OCR ,
Popular ,
Privacy Laws ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Request For Information ,
SAMHSA ,
Substance Abuse ,
Transparency
As we previously covered, in March 2023, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced a proposed rule on prescribing controlled substances via telehealth, aimed at addressing the “telehealth cliff” that was expected to occur...more
As we covered in a prior Telehealth Update, many of the flexibilities upon which telehealth providers have come to rely in recent years are tied to the federal Public Health Emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic (the...more
9/2/2022
/ Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicare ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Telehealth ,
Waivers
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This ruling overturned Roe v. Wade, which held that women had a fundamental right to an abortion. Since the Dobbs...more
7/26/2022
/ Abortion ,
Biden Administration ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Executive Orders ,
NDAA ,
PHI ,
Roe v Wade ,
SCOTUS ,
Stafford Act
Last week saw a lot of great news in the world of telehealth. On March 15, President Biden signed into law H.R. 2471, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022”, which extends many of the Medicare telehealth flexibilities...more
3/23/2022
/ Appropriations Bill ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
FQHC ,
Joe Biden ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
OIG ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Telehealth
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, since the beginning of the pandemic, telehealth providers have seen a dramatic increase in demand for their services along with a number of temporary regulatory measures aimed at...more
As we’re all painfully aware, public health issues dominated 2020 and with the country’s attention focused on COVID-19 testing, status, transmission and care, HIPAA went mainstream. Health information became critical not only...more
On August 4, CMS posted a proposed rule on CY 2021 Payment Policies, which included important updates about the expansion of Medicare covered telehealth services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows on the heels of...more
8/6/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicare ,
OCR ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Relief Measures ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Waivers
On Monday, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ajit Pai, circulated a plan to his fellow Commissioners detailing how the $200 million the agency will receive via the CARES Act should be deployed for a...more
4/1/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Emergency Response ,
FCC ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Interstate Telecommunications Service Providers (ITSP) ,
Medicare ,
OCR ,
Public Health ,
Relief Measures ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Waivers
Telehealth is going to play a critical role in the delivery of care in the coming weeks and months as health care providers respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the CDC and other public health agencies continue to recommend...more
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued an advisory opinion (Advisory Opinion No. 19-03) (Opinion) concluding that a program consisting of free, in-home...more
This is the fourth and final post in our series on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Pub.L. No. 114-10. We’ve previously covered the repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) in our April 20th post,...more
4/27/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
EHR ,
Electronic Health Record Incentives ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
HITECH Act ,
Meaningful Use ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization (MACRA) ,
Medicare Part B ,
PQRS ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine