The Administration for Children and Families to Release Funding to Support the Child Care and Development Block Grant

15. April 2020 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
On March 27, the President signed a $2 trillion emergency relief bill aimed at providing economic relief to the nation’s families, workers, and businesses. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will provide the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) with $6.3 billion in additional funding that will aid in the continuation of ...

HHS Announces New Ventilator Contracts, Orders Now Totaling Over 130,000 Ventilators

14. April 2020 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
This week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced five new contracts for ventilator production rated under the Defense Production Act (DPA), to General Electric, Hill-Rom, Medtronic, ResMed, and Vyaire, as well as two other contracts for ventilator production, to Hamilton and Zoll. In total, combined with contracts with General Motors and Philips rated ...

Guidance for Application of the Human Subjects Protection Regulations to Actions Taken in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

11. April 2020 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
The HHS Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) issued guidance on COVID-19 for investigators, institutional review boards, and institutions conducting human subjects research during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. OHRP recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on research that is regulated by the Common Rule. For example, some research is conducted in healthcare ...

OCR Announces Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Community-Based Testing Sites During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency

10. April 2020 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
Today, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will exercise its enforcement discretion and will not impose penalties for violations of the HIPAA Rules against covered entities or business associates in connection with the good faith participation in the operation of COVID-19 testing ...

HHS Statements on Authorizing Licensed Pharmacists to Order and Administer COVID-19 Tests

09. April 2020 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
Earlier today, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health issued new guidance under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act authorizing licensed pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized. HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued the following statement: “Giving pharmacists the authorization to order and administer ...

Indian Health Service Expands Telehealth Services During COVID-19 Response

09. April 2020 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
Today, IHS is announcing its expansion of telehealth across IHS federal facilities. Telehealth services means patients can stay home and reduce their risk of infection and also keep healthcare workers and others in waiting rooms and emergency departments safe from COVID-19. “Expanding telehealth allows more American Indians and Alaska Natives to access healthcare they need ...

OCR Reaches Early Case Resolution With Alabama After It Removes Discriminatory Ventilator Triaging Guidelines

09. April 2020 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
Today, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing that it has resolved a compliance review of the State of Alabama after the state removed ventilator rationing guidelines that allegedly discriminated on the basis of disability and age. This is the first enforcement action taken ...

HHS Awards $1.3 Billion to Health Centers in Historic U.S. Response to COVID-19

09. April 2020 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded more than $1.3 billion to 1,387 health centers as part of a historic U.S. response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. HRSA-funded health centers may use the awards to help communities across the country detect ...