“The CDC, CMS, and state and local health departments need quick access to COVID-19 related health data to fight this pandemic,” said Roger Severino, director of HHS Office For Civil Rights. Other news on technology looks at how tech giants are seeking “opportunistic” changes.
Modern Healthcare: HHS Eases HIPAA Enforcement On Data Releases During COVID-19
HHS won’t enforce penalties for violations of certain provisions of the HIPAA privacy rule against healthcare providers or their business associates for good-faith disclosures of protected health information for public health purposes during the COVID-19 emergency. The HHS Office for Civil Rights said Thursday that it was exercising its enforcement discrimination in making the policy change during the declared emergency period. (Meyer, 4/2)
The New York Times: How Tech’s Lobbyists Are Using The Pandemic To Make Gains
Last month, lobbying groups representing advertising giants like Google and Facebook asked California’s attorney general to wait to enforce the state’s new online privacy rules given the coronavirus ripping around the world. In Washington, lobbyists representing cloud computing giants like Amazon pushed for more money to help federal employees work remotely. And Uber began reframing a longtime campaign to avoid classifying its drivers as full-time employees through the urgency of a mounting public health crisis. (McCabe, 4/3)
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