From the Desk of Matt Fisher – ICYMI

By Matt Fisher, Esq
Twitter: @matt_r_fisher
Host of Healthcare de Jure – #HCdeJure

Tune in weekdays at 2pm, 10pm or 6am ET as Matt serves up the hottest healthcare issues of the day, all from a legal point of view.  From public policies and Federal initiatives to privacy and security, join host Matt R. Fisher as he and his guests discuss a smorgasbord of topics, giving hospitals, physicians, vendors and patients a seat at the table. Matt’s virtual conversations can be listened to on demand or heard on air. So don’t miss a minute of what’s on the menu.

ICYMI, read the latest of Matt’s blogs. And don’t forget to join the conversation with Matt on #HCdeJure.

A New Era for Access
The information blocking regulations that are designed to promote individual access to records finally went into effect on Monday, April 5, 2021. The regulations were long delayed both in initial drafting and then implementation after finalization. As a reminder, the premise of the regulations are to remove barriers to information both for individuals, organizations or applications acting on behalf of individuals, and others. The goal goes to the ideal of establishing the free flow of data to support care coordination, care collaboration, and individual autonomy. Continue reading on HealthIT Answers.

Shifting Care to Home or Remote
When access to in-person healthcare service shutdown almost completely in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of remote patient monitoring, or maybe more accurately remote patient engagement, was thrust to the fore. The positive effects from remote engagement have started to gain momentum as well with more evidence as to the actual health benefits. Continue reading on HealthIT Answers.

HIPAA as Standard of Care
A March 2021 decision by the Arizona Supreme Court recognized that obligations and requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) can be the standard of care underpinning a claim of negligence. The Arizona decision is only the most recent in a line of similar decisions by various states. However, what does it mean for HIPAA to act as the standard of care? Breaking that concept apart is important in understanding that the approach does not mean new rights are being created by states under HIPAA. Continue reading on HealthIT Answers.

Privacy Policy Ponderings
Most if not all websites will (or should) contain a link to a Privacy Policy at the bottom of the page. The Privacy Policy will in either great or vague detail describe what information is collected, how the information will be used, and potentially what rights are given to the user. Privacy Policies can frequently be somewhat dense and be full of legal language. Continue reading on HealthIT Answers.

Telehealth: Onward and Upward
It should be well known at this point in time that telehealth achieved rapid adoption and expansion throughout the course of the COVD19 pandemic. The adoption and expansion was the result of many emergency orders though that will only remain in place while a public health emergency declaration is in place. As a potential light at the end of the COVID tunnel can be seen, what will happen next? Optimistically, the answer is stabilization at the current point and growth. Continue reading on HealthIT Answers.

Listen in on one of Matt’s Healthcare de Jure episodes.