US waives HIPAA violation penalties to enable new technologies 

The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced it will waive penalties for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects patient data privacy. HHS argued that in the nationwide emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, greater latitude is needed to allow doctors to provide telehealth services and use new technologies such as one-on-one video conferencing apps to communicate with patients. However, the agency said that public-facing platforms such as Facebook Live, Twitch, and TikTok should not be used for patient calls.

Source: https://www.cnet.com/news/us-waives-potential-health-privacy-penalties-during-coronavirus-outbreak/

Writer: Alfred Ng
Publication: CNet