Healthcare providers remain firmly focused on dealing with the global pandemic, juggling the often-conflicting demands of providing care while keeping patients and staff safe. The financial impact of the pandemic has left many providers on the brink of bankruptcy amid falling patient visits deferred elective surgeries, and insufficient government aid to “fill the gap.”
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has relaxed rules around telehealth to keep some revenue flowing while anxious patients receive the care they need from home. Many healthcare staff are still working from home, using their personal computer networks and firewalls to access protected health information (PHI).