Governor Northam recently enacted Executive Order 60 (EO 60) granting limited immunity to health care providers responding to the COVID-19 disaster. The immunity covers claims of injury or wrongful death but does not cover gross… Read more
Recent Posts
Virginia Temporarily Relaxes Licensure Requirements for Health Care Professionals (Coronavirus and the Law)
On April 17, 2020, Governor Northam announced an executive order issued to support the increase in volume of health care workers in Virginia in order to help combat COVID-19. Executive Order Number 57 (the “Order”)… Read more
Updated HIPAA Guidance on Disclosing Information about COVID-19 Patients (Coronavirus and the Law)
New HIPAA guidance clarifies when healthcare providers may disclose information about patients who may have been infected with or exposed to COVID-19 to law enforcement, paramedics, first responders and public health authorities. The guidance, issued… Read more
OCR Issues Further Guidance on Enforcement of HIPAA Telehealth Rules (Coronavirus and the Law)
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced last week it was exercising its enforcement discretion to temporarily waive certain HIPAA penalties against healthcare providers. This change will allow for the more flexible good faith provision… Read more
Patient Privacy and COVID-19 – A Summary of HIPAA Updates (Coronavirus and the Law)
Healthcare providers must continue to be cognizant of patient privacy and HIPAA requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the HIPAA Privacy Rule remains in effect during a public health emergency, the U.S. Department of Health… Read more
OIG and OCR Relax Telehealth Requirements in Anticipation of Increased Demand (Coronavirus and the Law)
As the COVID-19 coronavirus takes hold in the United States, many providers are beginning to limit traditional face-to-face treatment and are starting to rely on telehealth services to treat patients. Health and Human Service’s Office… Read more
CMS Develops New Billing Code for COVID-19 Lab Tests (Coronavirus and the Law)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it has developed a new billing code for use by laboratories to bill for certain COVID-19 diagnostic tests. The Medicare claims processing systems will be able… Read more
Pandemic Planning for Healthcare Entities (Coronavirus and the Law)
For Hospitals, Long Term Care Facilities, Physician Offices, Urgent Care Clinics, and Other Providers: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold daily, healthcare entities of all sizes will need to continually assess their readiness to… Read more
Ruling Changes HIPAA’s Third-Party Directive Requirements
Patients’ right to access their health information is a core patient right protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act)…. Read more
Court Finds Patient’s Specimens Could Be Collected Over Her Objection
On May 9, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia found that an attending physician acted legally when collecting blood and urine samples from a patient in emergency custody without the… Read more