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Regulatory Attorney Offers Take On Telehealth Privacy Guidance

The expansion of telehealth will “absolutely continue" post pandemic

 
• By Brian Bossetta

Attorney Sean Sullivan, partner at Alston & Bird’s Health Care Group, who is based in the firm’s Atlanta office, shared his expertise with Medtech Insight on the recent guidance issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services on patient privacy during telehealth visits.

TELEHEALTH AUDIO
• Source: Shutterstock

As the frequency of telehealth has risen during the global pandemic, so have concerns over patient privacy. To keep up with the technology and to ensure those using telehealth have the same HIPAA safeguards as they do with traditional visits, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued new privacy guidelines for “audio-only” telehealth services.

The focus on audio-only is necessary, OCR notes, because many populations have limited or no access to technology for video...

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