For behavioral health providers, offering telehealth services has never been easier. Federal health officials have relaxed many HIPAA rules to encourage providers to offer more telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is good news for behavioral health providers who have been wanting to launch telehealth services but are concerned about staying compliant with HIPAA rules. Here is what the policy changes, including increased HIPAA flexibility, mean for your practice.
Innovation in healthcare technology, from EHR software to videoconferencing software to patient monitoring devices, has contributed to significant growth in telehealth. More recently, both physical and behavioral health providers have offered telehealth to their clients to reduce in-person and prevent viral spread during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Because of this, the U.S. federal government has encouraged more providers to adopt and use telehealth appropriately.
However, many behavioral health providers had not yet implemented a telehealth program when the COVID-19 emergency began. Behavioral health organizations may be concerned about the financial or time costs of adding telehealth solutions and training staff. Providers may be concerned about whether telehealth solutions can adequately protect client privacy and data. Fortunately, there are many methods and resources for addressing these concerns.
As the news surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic changes daily, it is important for us to continue to work together to remain safe and healthy. Streamline is following the social distancing protocols recommended by our local health officials and government to reduce the spread of the virus. We have stopped all travel, and our employees are working from home, if they can. We are also remaining fully operational so that our client partners can continue on the path of treatment for those they serve who are most in need.
President Donald Trump signed into law the “Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020” on Friday, March 6, after it passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 96-1. This bill provides $8.3 billion in emergency funding to help U.S. researchers and healthcare providers address the outbreak of COVID-19.
