President relaxes HIPAA penalties

President Donald Trump announced March 17 that his administration would not be enforcing HIPAA penalties, according to The New York Times.

The decision to relax HIPAA regulations may suggest that the federal government’s efforts to protect patients’ confidential health information could be weakened as the outbreak becomes more wide spread.

President Trump also suggested allowing providers to virtually communicate with patients via their personal phones.

Additionally, President Trump announced expanded telehealth offerings to Medicare patients and that his administration is working on an $850 billion stimulus package.

To read more on the HIPAA waiver, click here.

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