OCR Issues Guidance to Help Ensure Equal Access to Emergency Services and the Appropriate Sharing of Medical Information during Hurricane Dorian

04. September 2019 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
As Hurricane Dorian makes landfall, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services remains in close coordination with federal partners to help ensure that emergency officials effectively address the needs of at-risk populations as part of disaster response.  To this end, emergency responders and officials should consider adopting, ...

ONC Awards The Sequoia Project a Cooperative Agreement for the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement to Support Advancing Nationwide Interoperability of Electronic Health Information

04. September 2019 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) today announced that The Sequoia Project has been awarded a cooperative agreement to serve as the Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE). The RCE will be responsible for developing, updating, implementing, and maintaining the Common Agreement component of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). ...

HHS Purchases Smallpox Vaccine to Enhance Biodefense Preparedness

04. September 2019 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
As part of ongoing preparedness efforts against biodefense threats, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will purchase smallpox vaccine, called ACAM2000, to build and replenish vaccine stored in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) over the next decade. Under the agreement announced today, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and ...

HHS Secretary Azar Declares Public Health Emergencies for States of Georgia and South Carolina Due to Hurricane Dorian

03. September 2019 EHR, EMR, Health, HIPAA 0
Following President Trump’s lead in declaring an emergency for the States of Georgia and South Carolina, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar today declared a public health emergency for both states in preparation for Hurricane Dorian. The declaration gives the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) beneficiaries and their healthcare providers and ...