1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i HIPAA, Telehealth, and COVID-19 June 5, 2020 In recent years, health care providers have increasingly turned to technology to provide remote health care services to patients (i.e., “telehealth”). This use
2、 of telehealth has only become more important in the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as it has allowed providers and patients to minimize their contact with one another. However, the use of technology to transmit information carries privacy risks. Federal law thus limits t
3、he extent to which health care providers may use technology to transmit medical information. In particular, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires covered entitiesnamely, health care providers, health plans, and health clearinghousesto abide by data privacy, data se
4、curity, and data breach notification requirements in their treatment of certain medical information. While HIPAAs restrictions mitigate privacy and security concerns, they also limit health care providers ability to offer telehealth services. Given the increased need for telehealth options due to CO
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