HIPAA and Sharing of Medical Information During COVID-19

January 27, 2021

In Bond’s Jan. 26 webinar about the evolving legal implications of COVID-19 for businesses, healthcare and data privacy attorney Craig W. Anderson recorded a short video discussing application of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to medical information being exchanged for to comply with mandates pertaining to vaccinations and reporting.

Although the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is exercising “enforcement discretion” during the public health emergency for certain uses and disclosures of protected health information, as a general rule, HIPAA’s privacy and security rules are still in force. HIPAA still applies to covered entities and business associates who are exchanging protected health information. Generally speaking, entities that are not covered entities or business associates (as defined by HIPAA) need not comply with HIPAA’s regulations; however, other privacy or confidentiality laws – for example those under the ADA, FMLA or FERPA – may still apply.
  

To view this webinar in its entirety, or to sign up for Bond's weekly COVID webinar series, click here.