OCR Gives Providers More Leeway to Use mHealth, Telehealth Tools

Last week’s announcements by the Office for Civil Rights give providers the leeway to use video platforms like Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts to treat patients, as long as they adhere to certain guidelines.

With isolation and separation at the top of the to-do list, federal regulators are looking to make it easier for care providers to use telehealth and mHealth to treat patients. That includes removing barriers to using smartphones and video platforms.

On March 17, the Health and Human Services Department’s Office for Civil Rights moved to allow providers to use services like Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts. The OCR published a Notice of Enforcement Discretion related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which closely regulates how health information is relayed from provider to other parties.

For more details, view the full article here.