The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has released the guidance document “Guidance on How the HIPAA Rules Permit Covered Health Care Providers and Health Plans to Use Remote Communication Technologies for Audio-Only Telehealth.” It was developed to help healthcare providers and others understand how they can provide telehealth services in compliance with HIPAA rules while improving public confidence in the privacy and security of their health information. It includes FAQs to help in complying with the HIPAA Rules such as:
- Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit covered health care providers and health plans to use remote communication technologies to provide audio-only telehealth services?
- Do covered health care providers and health plans have to meet the requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule in order to use remote communication technologies to provide audio-only telehealth services?
- Do the HIPAA Rules permit a covered health care provider or a health plan to conduct audio-only telehealth using remote communication technologies without a business associate agreement in place with the vendor?
- Do the HIPAA Rules allow covered health care providers to use remote communication technologies to provide audio-only telehealth if an individual’s health plan does not provide coverage or payment for those services?
Visit the guidance page for more FAQ details and additional resources from HHS on telehealth remote communications.
Guidance on How the HIPAA Rules Permit Covered Health Care Providers and Health Plans to Use Remote Communication Technologies for Audio-Only Telehealth
View Guidance
