HHS’ Office of Civil Rights, issued a notice that it will allow healthcare providers to use widely-available communications software without fear of violating HIPAA, even if the software does not meet the HIPAA privacy and security requirements.
While consumers may prefer telehealth and value access to virtual care for an increasing portion of their healthcare needs, it is still payers and policymakers who act as gatekeepers to designing access to healthcare services in the vast majority of cases.
Spring break takes on a different meaning during a pandemic when you lead a Florida health insurer that covers about 5 million people. Patrick J. Geraghty isn’t crazy about his state filling up with crowds of potentially unmasked college students who could spread COVID-19 to more Floridians. But the Florida Blue CEO thinks people are doing a good job otherwise trying to curb the coronavirus pandemic. He sees the mild flu season as a sign that people are wearing masks and trying to keep their distance.
When it dipped into the single digits during the winter freeze, David Patterson felt the pain. “When we have bad weather, like what we just had in February, you know the coldness, because I have severe arthritis in both my hips basically, so I can feel the pain or the high humidity,” Patterson explained.
Telemedicine pioneer Teladoc Health had an incredible 2020. The pandemic turned the small but growing remote virtual care niche of the healthcare industry into a basic staple. Amwell on the other hand -- not so much. Its fourth-quarter 2020 results were decent enough, but the outlook for the new year implies the health technologist's expansion will slow to a snail's pace.
It may be months yet before the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, but already it's creating lasting changes in healthcare, with more patients using computers, tablets and phones to talk with doctors, nurses and therapists.